The Hourglass of Life
by xxfacelesswriter
Summary: Coming back from her honeymoon, Genevieve joins the crew as the plane crashes and the survivors fight to stay alive. But with no sign of her husband, Genevieve must occupy herself by helping the others while looking for her beloved. A LOST Fanfiction! OC
1. Pilot I

**I do not own anything besides Genevieve Mendez, as well as Eric** **Mendez.**  
><em>Italics are flashbacksmemories!_

_Please review!_  
>Much love, Julie Jay<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Pilot I<strong>

There was no air, absolutely no air to breath. Gasping, all I felt was liquid surrounding my entire body. Flailing my arms and kicking my legs, I emerged out of the ocean, just in time before my lungs collapsed. Hearing nothing but screaming and panic, I opened my eyes and watched the wreckage of the plane just a couple of yards from where I was floating. Looking to the island, it took a little until it finally processed in my head what had happened. As the wreckage continued to sink into the water, I could feel the current pulling my body with it. Swimming as fast as I could, I made my way toward the island little at a time. I thanked whatever God was out there that I was finally able to touch the ocean floor, and I pushed my way out from the sea water. The scene in front of me was something that I could have sworn I saw in a movie; but this was no movie. Reality started to slowly sink in as I frantically looked around for him; he was nowhere to be found. Hearing the engine explode, I jumped and held my hands over my head for protection. Looking to where the fire was now blazing, the only thing I thought about was my breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. "Hey, you! Miss, come here!" Realizing someone was actually acknowledging me, I turned to the voice seeing a man with a tuxedo on and a pregnant woman. I raised a brow, wondering how that woman felt at the moment, but as my thoughts continued, I could hear the man continue to yell. "Please, I need you to get this woman away from these fumes!" Kicking into gearing, I ran over to them, holding onto the small woman. "Take her over there, and stay with her. If her contractions occur any closer than three minutes apart, call out for me." I nodded as I started to direct the two of us away from the wreckage. "I'll be right back, okay?" I didn't say anything; my mind was so set on helping the woman, I had basically tuned him out. The woman thanked the doctor as he ran off, but a light bulb switched on in my head.

"Hey!" I yelled after him. "What's your name?" I called out as he turned.

"Jack!" He yelled back before running off again. Looking down to the woman, she looked up at me.

"I'm Genevieve," I introduced, knowing she'd want to know the name of the person helping her.

"Claire," she responded, holding onto both my shoulders and her stomach. Claire yelled in pain as another contraction started.

"Okay Claire, I want you to do us both a favor and breath," I told her, knowing that breathing through the pain would be the best thing for her. "Just breath; in through the nose and out through the mouth." I breathed with her, helping her focus on the simple task. Of course, because I've never been pregnant I wouldn't know how bad the pain actually was, so the task wasn't so simple for her. I tried to get her to continue moving so she was no longer close to the wreckage, but she refused to move while the contractions were continuing. Closely watching her, I kneeled down to her and continued to breathe with her. "You're doing great," I told her, hoping to make her feel better.

"Move! Move! Move!" Looking up, I spotted Jack sprinting toward us, yelling. He pointed to the wreckage, and when I averted my gaze to analyze what he was hollering about, I noticed the wing of the plane threatening to fall. "Get her out of there, the wing!" Quickly moving Claire, I wrapped her arm around my shoulders and took hold of her waist as I ran for the both of us. Jack joined us, holding onto the small woman. The wing from the plane broke off causing a mass explosion; Jack, Claire, and I all fell forward on the ground. Moving my hair from my face, I looked around seeing a piece from the plane almost crushing a survivor. "You okay?" Claire nodded before rolling over to hold her stomach. I watched her, hoping the fall didn't cause any more trouble for her. "Hey, are you okay?" Now Jack was talking directly at me. Nodding, I got to my feet, dusting the sand off from my wet clothes. "Can you stay with her?" he asked quickly before running off again. Raising a brow at him, I looked down to Claire.

"Any more contractions?" I asked her, kneeling down. Claire quickly shook her head in relief.

"No, I think it was just a false alarm." Nodding to her, I stood up again. Looking around, I noticed a heavy-set male close by.

"Hey, could you stay with her until I come back?" I asked him, pleading. The man nodded and introduced himself as Hurley. Shaking his hand in a 'thank you' gesture, I introduced myself before looking down to Claire. "I'm going to go see if anyone needs any help, Hurley will take good care of you. I'll be back, I promise." She nodded, understanding. Letting out a soft breath, I looked around and spotted the woman who Jack revived. Running over to her, I asked if she was okay. The black woman nodded to me and walked away, looking for 'Bernard'. I watched her, wondering if, like me, she was looking for her husband. Eric! Finally realizing he was no where to be found, I roamed around the wreckage, looking for my husband. "Eric!" I called out, looking frantically. I made sure I looked to everyone in search for the familiar dark hair and green eyes I was so accustomed to seeing everyday; no luck.

My search ended when everyone stopped panicking. I sat by the ocean, my arm resting on my knees, as I stared out to the horizon. Close by, I could hear a passenger cursing his phone for not having signal and another man starting a fire. "Hey you." I looked to the voice, noticing it wasn't directed toward me. I watched the dark man ask for the name of the man who almost died from the plane wing crushing him. Listening intently, the man's name was Charlie while the dark man's name was Sayid. The task they were on was to get enough wood to make the fire big enough for rescue to see us. Looking away, I noticed the black woman sitting not far from me, kissing her wedding ring. Raising my hand, I wiggled my ring finger where my ring should have been, but I had tucked it into my luggage while on the plane since it kept falling; at that time I was planning on getting it re-sized when I got back home. That all seemed so pointless now. Hearing footsteps approaching, I looked to see Claire walking down to sit with me. Giving her a small smile, I looked back out to the ocean – it was starting to get dark.

"From this point of view, it looks beautiful," she said, speaking out the ocean. I realized then that she was from Australia as her thick accent lingered

"Yes, and then you turn around and realize the circumstances are different," I added sourly, my own Spanish accent showing. Letting my frustrations get the best of me, I wanted to scream at everyone and everything. The feeling of loneliness slowly crept on me as I continued to think about Eric, and his whereabouts unknown. "I'm sorry," I whispered to her.

"It's okay; we're all a bit on edge." She lightly patted my shoulder, showing me that no feelings were hurt. Giving her a smile, I sighed.

"They should have been here by now." I didn't take my eyes off from the ocean, watching for another plane or helicopter, or even another boat; but nothing came. Rescue wasn't showing and I, as well as the other survivors, were getting impatient.

"Hey, are you guys hungry?" I looked up to see Hurley standing over us, holding out two trays of food from the plane. Nodding, I extended my arm for the food while Claire thanked him and did the same. "Anymore … you know, baby stuff?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh no, I...I'm okay." Claire nodded up to him with a smile.

"Well, hang in there," he added before leaving. I watched him as he turned to leave, but stopped and handed Claire another tray of food. I smiled at his kindness and looked to Claire.

"He seems like a really great guy." Claire nodded in agreement as she helped herself to the cold pasta in the tray. Examining my tray, I made a face before setting it down. "Hey, whatever happened to that Jack guy?" I asked her, looking around the camp for him. Claire shrugged.

"I dunno." We both searched for Jack but neither of us were successful. "I hope he's okay." I agreed with her; someone like him we'll need.

"Well, if you don't mind, I am going to go search for him so I can properly thank him for his kindness." Claire nodded.

"Let him know I also say thank you."

"I will. Enjoy the food," I added before sulking off toward the survivors. I roamed around the passengers looking to everyone. I realized there was an extreme diversity among us. There were Australians like Claire, African-Americans like Rose, Koreans like the married couple, Hispanic like me, and Caucasian like Jack. Looking to the fire, I noticed three bodies; one standing, one kneeling, and one lying on the ground. "Is everything okay?" I asked approaching them. I looked to Jack who turned to look at me, but as soon as he moved I noticed the injured man he was examining. "_Aye Dios mio_, is he dead?" Both Jack and the brunette woman gave me a confused look before answering.

"No, he's not dead, but he's badly injured," Jack said looking up to me. "This is Kate." The brunette woman gave me a small smile before greeting me.

"I'm Genevieve," I said with a nod, looking down to the man.

"Do you think he's going to live?" Kate asked, concerned.

"Do you know him?" Jack asked, looking up to her.

"He was sitting next to me." Averting my gaze to look at her, I couldn't tell if her sympathy was genuine or not. It was obvious in her face that she was concerned for the man, but it wasn't clear if she was concerned for his well-being. Kate lifted her head to the sky and ran her hands down her face, sighing. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I don't think any of us can fully grasp the concept of what is happening right now; most of the survivors are in shock and others are making it their duty to try to come up with ways to help us get off." The two looked to me as I spoke. "A man named Sayid was the one that was in charge of collecting the wood to make the fire and another named Charlie was helping him. Hurley is contributing by handing out trays of food from the plane to the others while the rest of them are just lounging around; in shock I presume." I could tell that Jack was impressed with the way I was speaking, but Kate was just listening because it was the polite thing to do. Stopping my updates about the others, I looked down to the visible beach to the wreck. Jack finished his examination and beckoned for us to join him closer to the fire. Picking up leaf, Jack began tearing it apart, making it look like a miniature plane. Jack and Kate sat next to the fire while I stood next to Jack, letting my legs stretch.

"We must have been at, about, 40,000 feet when it happened. Hit an air pocket and dropped, maybe, 200 feet. The turbulence was." Jack grew silent as he thought about the experience. "I blacked out."

"I didn't." Kate said, crossing her arms across her chest. "I saw the whole thing. I knew that the tail was gone, but I couldn't bring myself to look back. And then the, the front of the plane broke off."

"Well, it's not here on the beach. Neither is the tail. We need to figure out which way we came in."

"Why?"

"Because there's a chance we could find the cockpit," I answered for Jack, knowing exactly where he was going. "If it's intact, we might be able to find a transceiver. Send out a signal and help the rescue party find us."

"How do you know all of that?" Kate asked, taking turns looking at both Jack and I.

"I took a couple of flying lessons; wasn't for me," he answered with a shrug.

"My father was a pilot," I answered, holding my weight on one leg. Jack threw the leaf plane into the fire, and we all watched as it burned.

"I saw some smoke just through the valley. If you're thinking about going for the cockpit, I'm going with you." Watching her body language, and the way she spoke to him, I could automatically sense that she felt the need to help him. Just as I was about to speak up and offer my help as well, a mechanical roar came from the forest. Jake and Kate joined me on their feet as everyone on the island looked to the noise, scared. The tops of trees started to disappear as the sound continued to grow louder and louder. Most of the islanders moved closer to the sound while the other half backed away from it. Being smart, I backed away as I watched the trees continue to disappear.

"Great."

* * *

><p><em>Eric couldn't stop shaking his leg, and he continued to do so even while I tried my hardest to read. The shaking was starting to get rather obnoxious, so I put a hand on his leg, making him stop. He looked to me with a raised brow, confused to what I was doing. "Will you stop shaking your leg?" I asked him; he then realized why my hand was on his leg. "If you hated flying we should have gone somewhere else for our honeymoon." Eric chuckled as he put his leg over the other one. <em>

"_I wanted you to have the honeymoon of your dreams," he responded with a wink._

"_Babe, I already had the wedding of my dreams, I didn't need a honeymoon to match it."_

"_Are you kidding? You'd never let me forget that we had a mediocre honeymoon if I would have taken you to the place I wanted to go to." Eric was right. He wanted to go to see Niagara Falls and stay in a cabin and camped; I'm too much of a city girl for something like that. With a shrug, I continued my reading. Hearing some desperate voices, I turned to see a man quickly walking through the aisle as a flight attendant chased after him. He locked himself into the bathroom and I shrugged to my husband. "Whatever," he said, looking to me. "I'll be back, I've got to go to the restroom." I watched as my husband made his way to the restroom, looking back to my book after he went out of view._

"_Ladies and gentleman, the pilot has switched on the "fasten seatbelt" sign. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts." Placing my book down, I grabbed my seatbelt and made sure it was tight. _

"_I hope everything is okay," I heard the man behind me say softly. There was a sudden lurch and I witnessed a passenger flying out of his seat, hitting his head on the ceiling. The plane aggressively shook and the oxygen masks come down. Quickly grabbing the mask, I placed it over my face. _

"_Eric!"_

* * *

><p>"It didn't sound like an animal; not exactly I mean." When morning had come, most of the islanders were too scared to sleep, so they stood together as they discussed the mysterious noise from the previous night. I, myself, hadn't been able to sleep much; the sand was nothing compared to soft hotel beds. The sun had come up, and I forced myself to wake; not a great welcome for the new day. I stood next to Jack as we both looked out to the ocean. I listened as the islanders shared their thoughts and views about what the noise could have possibly been. Someone had proposed that the sound was an animal, but even a deaf person would know that that sound did not come from an animal; none that wasn't mechanical.<p>

"That sound that it made, I keep thinking that there was something really familiar about it." I looked to the black woman who had shared that her name was Rose.

"Really? Where are you from?" Asked the blonde Barbie doll.

"The Bronx," Rose answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Might be monkeys; its monkeys, right?" Charlie asked obviously worried.

"Sure it's monkeys. It's Monkey Island." I looked to the man that answered him and quickly looked him over. He seemed like that kind of man that didn't get along well with others, but at the same time, neither did most of the people here.

"Technically, you know, we don't even know if we're on an island." Hurley raised a hand, indicating it was his turn to talk. I couldn't help but smile at the man and his boyish charm.

"We're on an Island," Sayid said with a nod.

"You guys ready?" Turning, I looked to Kate who walked beside us.

"Kate, you showed me where the smoke was. I can get there myself, no offense to the both of you."

"We're coming," we said in unison.

"Well, you're going to need better shoes," he said to Kate. I had already had on my sneakers while on the plane, giving me the comfort I needed to fly.

"I'll be right back." Watching Kate as she left, I gave Jack the heads up where I'd be before making my way over to Claire.

"You'll be alright here, right?" I asked her, concerned. "I'm going with Jack to find the cockpit." Claire nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I have Hurley here to help me if anything." I smiled at her and realized why I had felt a connection to her; she was the daughter I've always wanted. Claire was so innocent, so meek – a damsel in distress. With one last smile, I gave her a hug before walking to wait with Jack. As soon as Kate approached us, we walked over to the others who were still in a huddle, discussing.

"We are going to out and look for the cockpit," he informed the others. "We're going to see if we can find a transceiver to send a distress signal and help the rescue team." Jack looked to Boone and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to need to keep an eye on the wounded. If the guy in the suit wakes up, try to keep him calm, but don't let him remove that piece of shrapnel. You understand?"

"Yeah, got it. What about the guy with the leg? The, the tourniquet."

"I stopped the bleeding. I took it off last night. He … he should be all right." Boone nodded.

"I'll come with you. I want to help." Charlie stepped forward, raising a hand.

"I don't need any more help," Jack said, looking at both Kate and I while we waited patiently for Jack to finish up.

"No, it's cool, I don't really feel like standing still, so." Jack looked to us for confirmation. I shrugged, indicating I didn't care and Kate nodded. "Excellent." Charlie walked to us and put an arm around both our shoulders. "Looks like we'll all be going." Smacking his arm off my shoulders, I turned and started the way.

"May I ask you something?" We had been walking for about ten minutes before anyone said anything. Walking ahead with Jack, Kate and Charlie walked steadily behind us. Upon hearing her voice, I turned with a raised brow as I looked at the two of them while they spoke.

"Me? I'd be thrilled. I've been waiting," Charlie responded with a smile.

"Have we ever met, anywhere?" Kate kept her gaze ahead as she spoke.

"No, that would be unlikely." Charlie continued to carry the smirk on his face. "I look familiar, though, right?" Kate nodded and answered him while Charlie sighed excitedly. "Can't quite place it?" Kate shook her head as she continued to remember where she knew him. "Yeah. I think I know."

"You do?"

Charlie began singing loudly, as if it was to help her remember. "You all everybody. You all everybody!" He stopped for a brief moment, hoping she'd remember with that verse, but Kate was still clueless. "You've never heard that song?"

"I've heard it. I just don't know what the hell it is…"

"That's us; Drive Shaft. Look, the ring—second tour of Finland. You've never heard of Drive Shaft?"

"The band?" she asked with a smile, stopping to look at him.

"Yeah, the band."

"You were in Drive Shaft?" Kate asked, not believing him.

"I am in Drive Shaft. I play bass."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, Charlie. Track 3, you know, I do backing vocals."

"My friend Beth would freak. She loved you guys." Jack finally looked back and groaned. I gave him a shrugged before stopping in my tracks, waiting for the two to start moving again. Jack and I waited a little more before he grew impatient, walking over to them.

"Give me Beth's number, I'll call her, I'd, I'd love to."

"Hey," Jack approached them, trying to get them to start moving again, but the two were so engaged in their conversation that Kate tried to get him involved.

"Have you ever heard of Drive Shaft?" she asked him. Charlie began singing again; hoping Jack would remember the song as well. Jack shook his head before informing them that we all had to keep moving. He started toward me again and I gave him an amused look.

"What was that about?" I asked him, following closer behind him.

"I don't know, apparently he's in some kind of band." I nodded, not really knowing what to say to that. "I don't really care; I just want to find the cockpit."

"Understandable." We all continued walking - single filed line - through the forest. The once smooth path we were walking on turned into a junglized obstacle. Jack continued to lead the way as he wacked the plants out of our way so we could continue on our trail without harm. A light breeze wisped passed us and I could smell it instantly; the smell of rain. Stopping in my tracks, I looked up to the sky and saw the clouds. As soon as my face went parallel with the ground, the rain belted down on us. The rain didn't stop us from moving, but it did leave Charlie a bit concerned. He went on asking if the sudden rain was normal, calling it a bit apocalyptic. I much rather enjoyed the soft air and the cool liquid falling on us, it would help cool our bodies down from the immense heat. Rounding a big tree, we spotted it, the front part of the plane. We stopped in front of it, examining the plane. It seemed so grim to see the other half of the plane caught in a tree, just sitting in the middle of the forest.

"Well come on, let's do this." Jack dropped his walking stick and started toward the plane. We found a good part to enter the plane and began climbing in. The sight inside the plane was depressing; bodies were left inside and the masks were all hanging from the ceiling.

"Let's get this trans..." Charlie started, bringing my thoughts back on the real reason why we were here.

"Transceiver," Jack corrected him.

"Transceiver thing and get out of here," Charlie finished. Jack began climbing up the plane, holding onto the seats for support as he climbed; we followed. It was a hard task since the plane was upright due to the tree, but it was a task that needed to be done. I helped Charlie up after seeing him struggle and continued. Jack grabbed a flashlight and began hitting the door to the cockpit; when it did open, a body flew down passed us.

"Are you okay?" he asked us as we were all breathless from the sudden scare. "Hey, you girls don't have to come up here."

"I'm okay," Kate answered for us as I reached out my hand for help. Jack grabbed it and hoisted me up with him, doing the same with Kate. I pulled myself up into the cockpit and steadied myself so I wouldn't fall. "So what does the transceiver look like?"

"Like a complicated walkie-talkie." Jack pulled himself up and began searching for the device. Kate began looking in the opposite side of the room, but we all stopped when the body that we thought was dead began breathing. He let out a few coughs before Jack began talking to him. "Hand me the water." I grabbed the water bottle I had in my bag and handed it to Jack so he could help the pilot.

"How many survived?" the man asked. Looking at his wounds, I could see his eye was swollen from the wounds and he was bleeding from a cut just above his eye.

"At least forty-eight," Jack answered. "Does anything feel broken?"

"No, just my head – it's a little dizzy, that's all." Jack looked over his head wounds and nodded.

"It's probably a concussion."

"How long has it been?"

"Sixteen hours."

"Sixteen? Has anybody come?"

"Not yet," I answered him, making him aware that there were other people in the cockpit. The pilot looked to me and Kate, breathing heavily.

"Six hours in, our radio went out. No one could see us so we turned back to land in Fiji. By the time we hit turbulence, we were a thousand miles off course." Jack turned to look at us, as if to say 'we're screwed', but I kept my gaze on the pilot, forcing the words to sink in. "They're looking for us in the wrong place." We all kept quiet for a little while, letting the pilot's words scramble in our heads. "We have a transceiver!" The pilot went to get up, but Jack stopped him from moving.

"Good, that's what we were hoping," Jack said, pushing him back onto the seat. "Listen, you shouldn't try to move." The pilot insisted he was okay, but Kate was already going for the device, handing it to him. The pilot turned the switch and out came static. Looking around, I noticed there was one body missing from our group.

"Where's Charlie?" I asked, causing Kate to search for him. The pilot tried for the transceiver to work, but failed while Kate walked out of the cockpit. Creaking came from the plane as she walked and searched for the British man. She called out for him, which in turned caused him to come out from the restroom.

"What are you doing in the bathroom?" she asked him. Charlie gave her a questionable look, but before he could answer, the mechanical roar came from outside the plane. We all looked up from what we were doing and looked around.

"What the hell was that?" the pilot asked. Jack called for Kate and helped her into the cockpit, Charlie following.

"It's right outside," she whispered, breathless.

"What? What's right outside?" Jack and I shushed the pilot and kept very still. We heard the sounds of trees snapping and breaking, and Kate moved to a different location in the cockpit, right by me. I held onto the brunette woman as we both sat still, scared. Jack tried to peer out the window of the plane to get a glimpse of whatever it was that was terrorizing us, but he couldn't see passed the foggy glass. The pilot stuck out his head from a hole, and he was sucked up. As he was hoisted up from the plane, blood splattered all over the windows next to Kate and me; I held in the vomit threatening to escape.

"What the hell just happened?!" Charlie yelled, frantic. Another blow came from the creature to the plane, causing it to shake. Jack reached for the transceiver and the plane fell from the tree onto the ground. We ran out from the plane, running as fast as we could through the storm. We hurdled and jumped through obstacles and barriers that the forest gave us, but our terror was so high we continued to run. Charlie fell, his leg caught. "Hey!" Jack turned and helped Charlie out from the trap as Kate and I ran into the barriors of tree trunks. Realizing Jack and Charlie were no longer behind us, we looked around.

"Jack!" Kate yelled as a few sobs escaped her throat. I shushed her as I heard the ground shake from whatever the creature was taking its steps. Trying to slow my breathing, I could hear Kate desperately trying to count. Looking to her, I raised a brow, but I didn't bother to question her; my main concern was Jack and Charlie. When she reached the number five; Kate had calmed herself down and began listening to the sounds of the forest along with me, looking for any signs of them. Hearing leaves rustle behind us, we both turned to investigate; there was nothing there. Turning back around, there stood Charlie, causing Kate and I to scream. I held onto the small tree trunk while Kate fell forward on top of Charlie. "Where the hell is Jack?" Kate asked, regaining her composure.

"I don't know," he answered.

"Did you see him?"

"Yeah, he pulled me up."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know!"

"How can you not know?" It was actually quite amusing to watch the two go back and forth with the questions that I stood at my post.

"We got separated! Look, I fell down 'cause he back for me, that thing..."

"Did you see it?" I asked, interrupting him.

"No," he answered, looking to me. "But it was right there. We were dead ... I was. And then Jack came back and he pulled me up. I don't know where he is." Kate looked around for Jack, getting off from Charlie.

"We have to go back for him," she said. As soon as she spoke, the rain had finally stopped. I walked out from my hiding spot and joined the two.

"Go back there?" Charlie asked with a hint of fright in his voice. "Kate there's a certain gargantuan quality about this thing."

"Then don't come." Kate looked to me, giving me a look. I nodded, knowing that her look was really a question if I was going along. We began walking toward the area where Jack and Charlie were last while he laid on the ground, sighing. Finally, Charlie gave in and joined us in our quest for Jack. Kate walked slowly and cautiously, as did Charlie. We searched around the areas where we had ran from before anyone spoke.

"I heard you shout," Charlie spoke. "I heard you shout Jack. I'm Charlie, by the way." I couldn't help but smile at his comment; poor Charlie was getting jealous that Jack was getting more attention then he was. Kate stopped in her tracks, causing me to run into her. But before I could question her, I noticed what she was looking at. "What is that?" Charlie asked. I rolled my eyes and shushed him before looking forward again. Kate moved forward and picked up the shiny, metal pendent that lay on the ground; it looked like something a pilot would wear with his uniform. Kneeling down with her, I studied it before looking into the reflection of the water. Tilting my head, I averted my gaze toward the sky and realized the weird shape in the reflection was actually the pilot hanging from a tree. Kate and Charlie both followed my gaze. "What..."

"It's the pilot." We all turned to the voice, seeing it was Jack coming out from the forest.

"Did you see it?" Kate asked as she approached him.

"No," Jack answered, disappointed. "It was right behind me, but I dove into the bushes." While they spoke, I kept my gaze up to the pilot, trying to figure out how he got up there. Charlie must have noticed what I was preoccupied with because he joined me.

"Guys," I spoke, getting their attention. "Now, how does something like that happen?" I asked, pointing up to the pilot. We all kept our gazes up to the tree, looking over the horrific sight of the pilot, dead and caught in the tree branches.


	2. Pilot II

**Coming back from her honeymoon, Genevieve joins the crew as the plane crashes and the survivors fight to stay alive. But with no sign of her husband, Genevieve must occupy herself by helping the others while looking for her beloved. A LOST Fanfiction! OC**

**Disclaimer:  
><strong>_I do not own Lost or any of the brilliant fictional characters from the show. I do however own my two characters of Eric and Genevieve Mendez._

* * *

><p><strong>Pilot II<strong>

After deciding there was absolutely nothing the group could have done for the pilot, they quickly all agreed to keep that part of their eventful trip between the four of them, and to make their way back to the island with the others. The leader continued to play with the transceiver, trying to make it work. He wasn't sure exactly what was wrong with the technical device, but he wouldn't quit on figuring its complicated structure out. His determination actually inspired Genevieve – he was just not going to stop. This made the brunette wonder if all his hard work was for them as survivors, or selfishly for himself.

During the trek back, Charlie continued to question if the transceiver was working yet, which made the other three very restless and agitated. Gen could hear the annoyed sigh coming from Kate, and see the annoyed head shake from Jack whenever Charlie opened his mouth. Gen, herself, would let out a sigh of frustration whenever he'd inquire about the transceiver. "Pardon me for appearing desperate but before the pilot was ripped from the cockpit, he did say no one's going to find us unless we get that transceiver working. So, is there anything?" It took everything in the woman to not turn around and fight with the Australian man, but she held myself back after Jack irritatedly answered him.

"What were you doing anyway?" Kate asked. "In the bathroom, I mean." Charlie looked at her with a raised brow. Genevieve wasn't sure if Kate was able to notice his hesitation in answering her, but the woman saw it clear as day. As a psychotherapist, she was forced to go into extensive training to detect deceit and anyone who tried to defeat the lie detector tests. For someone with an advanced knowledge like her, detecting deceit was an easy task; there were very many tells that humans do sub-consciously and Charlie had made one of them.

"Isn't it obvious?" Charlie answered. "Oh, I thought you could tell. I was getting sick. Puking." Both women looked to Charlie in a disbelieving stare. "My one … tangible contribution to this trek," he added, almost as if he was ashamed of himself. With that Genevieve chose to ignore their little unimportant conversation and catch up with Jack. As the woman walked by his side, she could feel his dark orbs staring a hole into her skin. She knew eventually he'd finally ask the question festering inside his mind, but Gen interrupted his thoughts with a question of her own.

"Do you think the pilot was right; they're looking for us in all the wrong places?" she inquired, worried. Jack chose not to answer. With his silence Genevieve nodded, understanding. Most humans didn't state aloud bad news; something about if they don't acknowledge it, it's not real. But this was real and it was happening.

Back at the base camp, the four individuals were expecting to be greeted by the survivors and relieved faces. But instead shouts, gasps and hurried breaths could be heard. Closing in on the crowd of twenty or so standing around, they could make out two bodies fighting for dominance. A thought briefly entered Gen's mind: was this already going to be a scene out of the Lord of the Flies? Years. It had been years since she had read the book and its contents even crossed her mind, but as Jack immediately intervened between the two men, she could clearly see the resemblance. Averting her gaze to Kate, the two women shared a shrug before looking back to their unofficial leader who was receiving what looked to be silver handcuffs from a black man. Freezing in place Gen's mind began to digest this picture; there was a criminal amongst the survivors.

As the white male ranted and exclaimed as to why he believed the other man was the criminal, Genevieve stood with her arms crossed. The scene unfolding in front of her eyes could be related to a scene from a news show. Fingers were being pointed and assumptions were being made; she could tell by everyone's expressions they were deciding upon themselves who was the criminal and what should be done. Though she couldn't blame their human instinct, Gen did have to be disgusted by why they were doing it.

"Stop!" Slightly jumping from Kate's booming voice beside her ear, Gen looked to the two men who instantaneous stopped their fighting and looked to the brunette. It seemed the others were starting to view Kate as Jack's 'right-hand man' and listened to the female; this impressed Genevieve. With all eyes on the strong, defiant and angry woman she started to speak to the group about their problems – the transceiver. Inquiring who could help, Sayid stepped forward, claiming he might be able to help. Right away the white male voiced his opinion on trusting the man.

"Hey, knock it off," Genevieve asserted at the white male after his comment to Hurley. Growing up the woman was always taught to treat others with kindness; she was never one for name-calling and making fun of larger people; his comment stirred an anger deep inside; an anger Gen hadn't felt for quite some time.

"Whatever you say, sweet cheeks, be the hero." He stalked off, passing Jack and purposefully bumping into him as he goes. The leader and brunette watched while he retreated back where he stayed. It seemed both Jack and Gen had the right state of mind about the man.

"You found the cockpit? Were there any survivors?" Boone asked inquisitively. The three group members all exchanged a look before turning their eyes to Jack who met the gazes. Jack's dark orbs found Genevieve's, pleading for help. With their eyes connected, Gen slightly shook her head. The knowledge of the pilot and what had happened to him would only scare the survivors and cause a panic throughout the group, this she knew. With one simple answer, Jack lied to the group as he disconnected the gaze.

"It's a dual-band. Military spec. Broadcasts full-range, far as I can tell. Chances are the battery is good, but the radio … it is dead." Sayid's words put a damper among those who still stood in the small circle. Kate inquired if he could get it to work; everyone's eyes fell to him. With all eyes on him, Sayid hesitated. "I need some time." Letting out a strenuous sigh, Genevieve looked around for Claire. While Jack walked off to attend to the dying man, Gen slowly traveled through the crowded beach to find the blonde woman. It didn't take long until she found the blonde sitting on the beach, writing ferociously in a diary. Placing her hands in the large jean pockets, her eyes observed from a far. The wind had picked up a bit since the morning which caused her blonde strands to be carried away with it. Claire moved the pieces away from her face as she kept her eyes on the light green paper while she scribbled away. It was strange for Genevieve to watch a woman who was probably a couple of years younger than her writing in a diary; it created the continuous illusion of Claire being a child.

Taking small steps toward the woman, Genevieve turned her attention onto the ocean. Though crashing onto a mysterious island wasn't the kind of honeymoon she had expected, she was thankful for having a beautiful scenery to gaze upon. It was obvious all the others shared the same opinion by their actions. "Writing our trivial attempts to get rescued?" Gen jokingly asked her with a bright smile. Claire's attention was quickly taken away from her book and onto her friend. The woman shared Gen's pleasant smile before giving a shrug, closing the book.

"I need something to do before I go insane," she answered, patting the empty airplane seat next to her. Happily accepting her offer, Genevieve plopped down onto the cushioned chair and looked out to the bright horizon. "Did you find whatever it was you guys were looking for?" The brunette gave a nod without taking her eyes off from the ocean. "Any luck on getting us rescued?" Finally peeling her brown eyes from the water, Gen looked to the blonde. The worry in her voice was involuntary but completely audible while she spoke. No one could blame the blonde for being worried; being eight months pregnant stranded on a deserted island with no sign of rescue would freak anyone out.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough, huh?" Gen's question wasn't exactly what Claire wanted to hear but it was the best answer the woman could give without sounding unhopeful. Claire nodded and continued scribbling away on her diary. The brunette guessed she was writing about the possible hope for getting rescued and she could bring herself to tell Claire that the chances were minimal. Staring back out to the ocean, Genevieve's mind slowly traveled to her husband. The conversation with Jack lead her to believe Eric could be alive in another part of the island. The tail of the plane was nowhere to be found in their current location. '_Maybe he was somewhere on the other side of this large and mysterious island_.' Inside the woman prayed to the Lord above that he was okay.

"Genevieve!" Hearing the familiar voice from the Australian rock-star slightly made Gen's body cringe in her seat. Too much had already happened that day and all she wanted to do was rest her aching feet, possibly take a nap, before anything else decided to tank. Quickly rolling her eyes, her mind silently cursed Charlie for breaking any hope of a peaceful five minutes to herself. "Gen!" His footsteps came closer and Claire turned to see who the voice belonged to. "Hey Gen, Sayid finished with the trans…"

"Transceiver," Gen finished for him as she rose to her feet. A small sarcastic smile lingered on her lips as she let out a small, almost inaudible, thank you. "I'll be back Claire." The blonde nodded and waved her friend away while Gen turned on her heel, beginning to make her over to Sayid; Charlie following uncomfortably close.

"Who is that girl back there?" he asked quietly. Genevieve's head snapped to Charlie, fire in her eyes. Charlie clearly saw the glare she was pressing into him; he quickly shut his mouth.

"Claire," she answered sternly while Sayid came into view, Kate also making her way over to the joining group. Stopping just a couple of feet away from the dark-skinned man, Gen folded her arms across her chest and listened to his and Kate's conversation. Talk of having to climb to higher ground, she'll admit, frightened her. Heights was never something Genevieve could get used to even back home. With Kate, she looked up to the mountains that only became visible now to the small group. "I can tell you one thing," Gen started as the tall green mountains kept her gaze. "I'm not climbing all the way up there." Kate's eyes flickered toward Gen before letting out a sigh.

"I'll go with you Sayid, but give me a couple of minutes to get ready." With a nod, Sayid walked off, leaving Charlie, Kate and Genevieve to their thoughts. "Are you coming Charlie?" Kate asked the man, instantly getting an answer. In Gen's opinion, Charlie was one of those human beings who wanted to impress others – but she wasn't sure if it was because he wanted into Kate's pants or because he genuinely wanted to go. Shrugging it off as none of her business, Gen looked around. Most of the survivors went back to their adapted daily routine. Most sat in small groups, talking and socializing for the sake of having company while others worked on their shelters.

"Where's Jack?" Genevieve asked while her eyes scanned the group of survivors, realizing he was nowhere to be found. Kate responded with a shrug and began walking off to find him; Gen following close. It didn't take long to find the unofficial leader; Jack was attending to the man with the shrapnel punctured through his stomach. Approaching him, Gen's eyes stayed on the piece of metal, cringing.

"How is he?" Kate asked as she folded her arms. Jack glanced over his shoulder to see the two women standing not too far from where he was kneeling. His eyes go back to the Shrapnel Man, shaking his head. "Can you do anything?" she inquired in a caring tone.

"I can pull out the shrapnel," he responded hesitantly.

"But yesterday you said…"

"I know, but that was yesterday. I was hoping he'd be at a hospital by now." Looking back to the woman, Jack sighed. "We leave him like this … he'll be dead within a day. If I open him up, and if I can control the bleeding and if he doesn't go into sepsis – and if I can find some antibiotics he might be all right. But there's no way of knowing until I see what kind of damage there is in there." Jack notices Kate's expression and shrugs. "Hey, at least he's unconscious." The two women absorb the information as they stood motionless.

"I'm going on a hike," Kate informed him after deciding she needed to leave. Jack glanced up to the brunette, shielding his eyes from the sun. "We fixed the transceiver, but we can't use it. At least not from here. If I –"

"Kate, wait a second," Jake started, interrupting her. While they started in their bicker, Genevieve's thoughts were pulled into another direction. If the man were to die on the island, would they bury him? Would they keep him out until rescue finally does come and his body could go back to his family? And if rescue didn't come for a while, would they be able to handle the stench of decomposition. Her thoughts were brought back to the scene happening in front of her once Kate began walking away. Jake stood where he was and watched the brunette before attending to the man once again. "Are you leaving too?" he asked. Quickly her stare went to the monstrous mountains peering down at them.

"No." Awkward. That's how the woman felt as she stood in silence while watching the doctor attend to his patient. In her old life, Genevieve was so used to having everyone else around her do the talking while she analyzed them. This she did for a living and it stuck on her even during her family/friend gatherings. Most of her close personal relations hated the silent woman she quickly changed into after receiving her job, but it was a habit Gen couldn't shake. "D-Do you -" the woman started, "- need any help?"

Shaking his head, Jake kept his head down as he lightly dabbed the blood seeping from the wound with a rag. Genevieve felt her feet move her body forward, watching him carefully examine the wound. "_Aye, no puedo_," Gen whispered to herself, looking away. Perfectly hearing her foreign words, Jack looked up to the sick looking woman.

"You're Spanish?" he asked, slightly not believing it. Genevieve was used to the question and the way it was asked. She never looked her ethnicity; in fact many confused her for Italian. Her hand traveled to her lips, covering them, as she looked back down to the doctor. Nodding to confirm, Gen did everything she could to not look at the dying man in front of her. "I never would have guessed."

"Not many do," she answered him, trying hard to pack up some courage. "Always comes a shock to those who speak about me in the language and I respond back." Jack smiled, amused at what she was hinting to. With him the woman smiled back, feeling the tension start to fade. Finally, after much mental discussion, Genevieve moved and sat next to the Shrapnel man. With her legs bent and her arms resting on her knees, the woman watched the survivors. Kate was standing with Sayid, Charlie, and two others; she didn't remember the names. Bone and Sharon? Dean and Sherry? Whatever the names were, it was unimportant to the woman at the moment. Scanning the fuselage, her gaze fell upon the angry white male. Gen wasn't sure what it was, but he intrigued her somehow. His need to be away from others; his ability to adapt to the camp as a one man crew could have been the culprit.

Genevieve watched as the man watched Kate and the others leave while he sat on part of the shattered wing, near the remains of one of the many enormous engines. With a cigarette in his mouth, he started to unfold a piece of crumpled paper and slowly his face began to change. The brunette watched as her eyes grew with interest and the man's eyes washed in concern … and more surprisingly to Genevieve, vulnerability. His light blue eyes moved slowly as he read the words on the page; for a brief second Gen could have sworn she saw tears begin to well up. But as quickly as he revealed the emotion, it was buried deep down once again as he quickly re-folded the paper, stuffing it back into his wallet. Without finishing the cigarette, the man tossed it over his shoulder before moving off toward the small group.

With him out of sigh, Genevieve's attention was brought back to the doctor. Jack was finishing up what he was doing but his face showed how preoccupied his mind really was. "What do you think about that man?" Genevieve asked him, helping him out from his black hole of thoughts. Her question wasn't registered through his mind instantly, but Gen waited until his eyes finally found hers, confused. "The man that was fighting with Sayid?"

"You mean Sawyer?" the doctor asked, pointing with this thumb toward the man. Letting his hand fall to his side after the woman confirmed Jack made a face before shaking his head. "I'm not really a fan of his, but we're in this together ya know?" Her teeth found the inside of her cheek as he spoke; a little habit Gen conceived during her counseling sessions. "Why?" His question took the counselor by surprise; why did she care? Moving his words around in her head for a moment, Genevieve shrugged.

"Just keeping up conversation," she answered delicately. Her legs fell to the ground, landing lightly against the tan sand. As her hands positioned behind, her body weight was balanced against her arms while she looked around to the survivors. The air was cool and softly hit her olive skin. If her mind wasn't so busy with taking everything in, Gen probably would have felt the man's eyes on her, burning a hole in her skin. But instead she continued to stare out as Jack Shepherd kept his gaze on the woman. While she took in her surroundings, he took in her dark curly hair, her smooth skin with a few freckles loitering on her bare arms – but mostly he took in her habit of chewing the inside of her lip while gazing out. He's seen that look before in the eyes of someone he cared about; it was all too familiar.

"You like to watch people, don't you?" Jack watched as her small body slightly jumped from his voice. Quickly her dark eyes found his, all her attention pulled to him.

"It's a hobby," Genevieve answered him with a smile. If she didn't know better, she might have guessed her cheeks were turning a light pink color. Normally the counselor was used to being out of sight during her analysis of her surroundings and the people in it – but as Jack called her out on her actions, Gen realized her actions were no longer hidden in these new locations.

"If you don't mind me asking," Jack started as he wiped his hands with a clean towel, trying his hardest to remove the dark red substance from his skin. "What profession are you in?" He then moved from beside the wounded man, to alongside Genevieve. As she felt his body move closer to hers, Genevieve lifted herself up and placed her hands in her lap, her legs crossing.

"I was a children and youth counselor for those who went through domestic abuse, sexual abuse, bullying, etcetera, etcetera. But I was a psychotherapist for a little while as well." Of course, the woman changed his present term question to past term; there was no faith in her they were getting off the island any time soon. Clapping her hands together, Genevieve removed the sand from her hands before she continued playing with it. Jack nodded, understanding now her actions.

"No wonder you like to people watch." Speaking in a hushed tone, Genevieve guessed he was thinking aloud, causing her to stay quiet. If she hadn't already guessed his previous occupation back in the civilization world they once lived in, the generous question would have been asked in return; she couldn't think of anything to say.

"What are you going to do about him?" Pointing back to the Shrapnel man, Genevieve's head moved to Jack as she shielded her eyes from the brooding sun. The man thought about her question, still unsure of what to do. "Rescue doesn't look to be coming any time soon; he's going to make the beach smell horrid if he passes." They shared a silent agreement – an understanding of the events that were going to have to happen. Through her eyes, Genevieve communicated she would stick around and help him. Wiping his hands together, Jack rose to his feet, helping Genevieve up as well, and looked around.

"We're going to need a few supplies first."

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Much to her surprise, Genevieve watched as Jack and Hurley walked toward her with supplies piled in their hands. While Jack reared off in search of everything he needed to imitate a surgical procedure, Genevieve walked in the opposite direction, finding Claire. The brunette found the woman in the same spot she had previously been, this time standing with her hand on her baby bump. Her blue eyes stared down while she stroked her belly, quietly mumbling. This made Gen smile; the connection between a mother and her child was beautiful. And when she approached her, Gen was even more in smiles after Claire shared her suspicions of a son. The news was great to hear for both parties, but Genevieve had to reveal what was about to happen.

Claire wasn't all too thrilled with the decision the doctor made, but she understood. The brunette only shared the information because she didn't want Claire to look for her and find the wounded man with blood everywhere – induced labor wasn't something anyone from the wreck wanted. After waving a goodbye, Genevieve made her way back to the Shrapnel man and waited for the doctor.

"You sure he's out?" Hurley inquired as Jack prepared the 'patient' for the 'surgery'. Jack had built a makeshift tent out of the deflated life raft over the Shrapnel man. It was Genevieve who had proposed the idea since the sight of blood made some people very uncomfortable. Next to Jack was a straight razor, a removed sink basin from the lav full of water and a clean white T-shirt torn into shreds to be used as bandages.

"He's out," Jack confirmed as he wiped away the blood seeping from the wound. Genevieve sat on the other side of the man, helping Jack prepare for the procedure. Though, instead the wounded, Gen kept her attention to Hurley who wasn't looking so good.

"How do you know he won't wake up when you pull that thing out?" the curly haired man asked, worry in his voice.

"I don't," the doctor answered honestly as he flipped open the straight razor. Hurley, who didn't feel reassured by this information, moved in close to the wounded man. Genevieve silently watched as Hurley tried waking the man up by faking a rescue; no such luck. An amused smirk plastered on her face, Gen handed Jack a lighter in which he used to heat the blade – sanitizing it.

"So, what do I –" Hurley started.

"It's unlikely he'll regain consciousness, but the pain might bring him around. If it does…I need you to hold him down."

"Uh – I'm not so good around blood, man." Instantly Gen's head snapped to Hurley, already knowing the outcome of the procedure. But before Gen could instruct him out from the tent, Jack intersected.

"Then don't look." Just like that, Jack began planning out his attack plan while Gen stared at him, Hurley turning paler by the second.

"Yeah. But I'm not so good around blood," Hurley repeated.

"Look Hurley, we really need you right now, okay? It would be great if you could let go of your fear of blood and help out your teammates." Staring hard at Hurley, Genevieve tried her best to be as kind and patient as possible. Nodding to her, Hurley sucked in a deep breath before turning to Jack.

"Shouldn't you like, wash your hands?" he inquired, watching the doctor put the lighter down, placing both hands on the shrapnel.

"I did. But he'll probably get infected no matter what I do. He lives; we just hope the antibiotics work." Lifting himself into a good position, Jack took one last glance to Hurley. "Don't look." Hurley nodded and turned away, muttering something to himself. Genevieve placed her hands on the wounded man, praying with everything in her that he didn't wake up while they operated on him. Within mere seconds, Jack pulled the Shrapnel out from the body. Quickly he did his best to assess the wound which was bleeding profusely. Hurley, who neglected his duty in holding the patient, looked to what was happening in front of him in disgust/shock/awe.

"Dude…"

"Hand me those strips," Jack commanded to Hurley as he placed his hand inside the wound. Gen had to admit, she had seen a lot of messed up things in her line of duty, but as Jack rampaged through the wound with his hand, she, herself, could feel bile threatening to find an escape.

"Dude…" Hurley repeated.

"Just hand me the strips, I need to get this blood," Jack voiced hastily as his expression changed. "Oh.."

"'Oh.' Oh what? What's going on? Is there something in there?" Panic in his voice, Hurley's stare stayed on the seeping wounded.

"I need a little focus, okay? The strips. Just hand me the…" Right away Jack could see Hurley wasn't focusing, but instead of staring at the open wound, his eyes glazing over. "Hey! Don't even think about – Hurley!" But it was too late. Hurley crumples and hits the ground like a bag of rocks, passed out. "Dammit! Genevieve, I don't think he's going to awake up, could you please hand me the strips." Nodding, Gen quickly reached over, grabbing them, and handing it over to the doctor. Unlike Hurley, Genevieve kept her gaze away from the horrific scene happening in front of her.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

With Hurley still out cold, Jack and Genevieve continued the surgery. Both were slathered in blood as they worked very diligently on the wounded man, doing their very best to keep him alive. The air was very tension between the partners – the obvious acknowledgement things were going from bad to worse. While Genevieve watched Jack and his graceful movements – almost as if one auto-pilot – she used the torn shirt to soak up the blood. In his hand, Jack held a needle and thread, trying to stitch up whatever was torn inside the man, a desperate attempt to stick his thumb in the dam that is his patient's life. But without warning, the wounded man awoke, forcing a grunt of pain out. Freezing, Jack's worse fear came to live before his eyes as the Shrapnel man's face contorted in pain as he began to gain consciousness.

Genevieve's eyes widened as she watched him struggling to breathe. Moving his lips, the man's eyes fell onto Jack, his voice a whisper. The needle was instantly dropped as both doctor and nurse moved in closer to the patient. "What? I can't…" Jack started. His words were stopped when the man's arms reached for Jack, his hand clenching Jack's shirt. The doctor was pulled close while the man hissed.

"Where is she?"

The words that came from his mouth next were of complete shock to Jack and Genevieve. As if it was like a bad dream, Genevieve refused to believe any word that escaped from his tired lips. But as quick as he came to life, the man fell against the hard ground again. Both sets of eyes were on the deceased, taking in the information they received. It was Jack who made the first move to glance over to his partner; Genevieve following suit. Silently Jack inquired if she believed him; with a shrug Genevieve nodded – there was proof. "We can't tell the others," Genevieve voiced. Jack agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>  
>It's been…I don't even want to admit how long it has been since I've updated this story. I would like to apologize to those who have favorited andor followed this story. I do not want to blame it on 'writer's block' since I do not believe in such a thing, but I will blame it on sheer lack of motivation. That and I haven't been able to receive Netflix to allow me to analyze the show to create my characters and correctly position them in the show. I do hope this chapter makes up for not updating sooner. Also you might have noticed that I changed the story into third person; I feel I'd be able to write the story much better that way. Please review with your thoughts on Gen. I would really like some feedback on her and her professional background. Do you think she'd be a better fit with Jack or Sawyer, or any other male characters in the show? I'm actually very open with who she has a fling with before finding her husband. **wink. wink. **

Thank you to those who have followed the story: _MyLivelyLove, Matsuri Hikari_

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this story. Until next time!  
><em>Julie Jay xoxo<em>


	3. Tabula Rasa

**Disclaimer:**

_I do not own Lost or any of the brilliant fictional characters from the show. I do however own my two characters of Eric and Genevieve Mendez._

* * *

><p>Quickly springing into action, Jack began to perform CPR to the Shrapnel man while Genevieve tightly pressed against the wound. She watched helplessly while Jack continued his movements, taking turns between pumping the man's chest and breathing into his mouth. Feeling like a few hours have passed, the sky began to darken; the beautiful dark blues, purples, and orange rainbowed the sky. For what seemed to be a few seconds, Genevieve slowly began to lose hope for the dead man – that was until he took in a hard breath. A small smile formed upon both Jack and Genevieve before the doctor began working on the makeshift sutures on the Shrapnel man's abdomen. As Jack continued to work, Genevieve kept her eyes on the man, his eyes starting to flicker.<p>

"You have to find her." Raising a brow, Gen glanced to Jack before inching closer to the bleeding man. "…have to bring her back…" Jack instructed him to keep still as he worked away on the stitches. "The cuffs…where are the cuffs?" His words caused Gen and Jack to freeze, their eyes peering down to him. "Jacket pocket." Seeing the man's jacket folded on the sand a few feet away, Genevieve gripped it tightly, checking the pockets. On the inside the woman pulled out a folded paper, her gaze exchanging with Jack's. Unfolding it, what was revealed to her, shocked her. With wide eyes, Genevieve passed the paper to Jack and witnessed his expression mimicking hers. As a psychoanalyst, Genevieve saw a variety of emotions wash over his face; confusion, revelation and betrayal.

And of course it was completely understandable with his previous feelings for the fugitive. The picture was Kate; her expression sad and defiant looking a little younger than she currently was. At the bottom of the photo was a numbered placard – her name not listed nor her crime; however it was blatant to see the picture Jack was staring at was indeed her mugshot.

"Dangerous," the Shrapnel man whispered before he lost consciousness once again.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Jack stared at the fainted man, shock still coursing through his veins. As the man and woman sat silently on the sand, Genevieve's mind grew silent. Her eyes traveled to Jack whose gaze stayed on the paper. "Don't you think you should finish stitching him up?" the woman spoke, wanting nothing more but to just patch the man up and get to sleep. Agreeing, Jack finished up the few stitches he had left before setting his makeshift surgical tools down onto his black sand-free jacket. It was at that time when Hurley began to come to, his groans audible behind Genevieve.

Getting to her feet, Gen couldn't help but smile at Hurley as he struggled to push himself up. "Okay Hurley, time for you to get up and help me get supplies."

"Supplies?" Jack inquired.

"Of course, how else are we supposed to keep Mr. Passed Out here clean and safe? We need to make a tent over him." Impressed, Jack nodded as he stood to help the other two get supplies.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

"So was it a dinosaur?" Hurley asked Jack after he gave his companions the story about his near encounter with whatever was in the forest. The trio had gathered as much as they could to make a makeshift tent. "Wait, you said you didn't see it." The conversation was going in and out of Genevieve's mind as she mainly focused on getting the tent made so she was able to go back to her own tent and sleep off whatever that day had brought to her. "So what's his story? He looks kinda…dying." Playfully shaking her head, Genevieve mentally laughed at Hugo's remark. Finishing the knot of rope holding the emergency inflatable boat to the rest of the tent, Genevieve took a step back, her hands on her hips.

She honestly didn't know how much longer the fainted man had. In all honesty, Genevieve – though not always so hostile – wished Jack would agree on putting him out of his misery. Letting out a soft sigh, Gen ran a hand down her face before looking to Hugo. "Uh-oh." While the woman was stuck inside her mind, Hurley had gotten hold of the paper both Gen and Jack were still processing and his face washed over with realization.

"What do you think she did?" Hugo asked as Jack stole the paper back from him, stuffing it into his back pocket.

"That's none of my business."

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Finally, after wanting nothing more with whatever was happening with Jack and Hugo, Genevieve made her way back to the beach. Like the previous night, small fires dotted the area around the fuselage and small groups of the survivors gathered around them. The scattered fire pits around the beach reminded the woman of a time when her and her husband participated at a bonfire in Miami where his family resided.

"_Eric!" Genevieve slowly turned to find her fiancé smiled down at her, happily taking the beer bottle of Rolling Rock from her hands. Taking a quick sip from the sweating bottle, Eric pulled his fiancé with him as they made their way closer to the roaring bonfire. Music echoed through the air, the night sky dark with stars and full moon illuminating it. The ocean waves crashed into the sand, creating the soothing sounds that instantly calmed Genevieve; even with the loud music she still smiled from the sounds of the ocean. _

_Happily following along with Eric, Genevieve playfully stole back her beer to indulge herself. For so long she was bombarded with case after case, client after client and finally she was able to let go and relax for the first time in a really long time. And being able to sit back in her beach chair, enjoying the warmth from the fire was one of the best feelings she had felt. _

"_Finally enjoying yourself?" her fiancé asked, a large smile plastered on his face. Nodding to him, Genevieve propped her feet up on their cooler, her toes wiggling with joy. _

A smile formed across Genevieve's lips at the memory, Claire's pregnant figure prominent. Waving to the blonde, Gen happily walked up to her friend. "How was your day?" Genevieve asked Claire, entering their shared tent. Lying on the ground, Gen could feel her muscles thank her for the rest. As Claire spoke about her long day, Genevieve began stripping her shoes and her jacket off, allowing the cool feel of the sand against her bare skin to feel almost welcoming. It wasn't long until the woman's eyes began to feel heavy, and soon after her mind drift off to dream world.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

That morning, Genevieve awoke to the sound of birds and Claire exiting the tent. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, the woman wished the crash on the island was simply a nightmare and she was able to take a hot shower. Sadly, as the woman exited her temporary home the ocean was audible and the smell of wet sand went through the air. Once the woman was able to put her boots back on, she made a trip to a secluded area of the beach.

Hugging herself, Genevieve closed her eyes, feeling the wind against her skin. Her curled hair flew along with the wind, whipping at every direction. The glorious warm rays from the sun beat down onto her skin while a smile formed on her face. Even though she was stuck on an island with no signs of getting rescued any time soon, Genevieve still took the opportunity to appreciate the beautiful sights in front of her. However, all her thoughts were halted as Eric's face came into her mind.

Eric. Her heart instantly broke knowing he was somewhere out there worrying about her just like she was worrying about him. And of course there was always the possibility that Eric didn't survive the crash; something she didn't want to think about. Opening her eyes, Genevieve looked to her surroundings, seeing an older dark-skinned woman sitting on her own on a hill, looking out to the water. In her hand, she was holding her necklace with what looked to be something gold attached to it. Letting out a sigh, Gen decided it was best to preoccupy herself with whatever Jack was getting into that day; it was off to find him.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Finding Jack in the makeshift infirmary tent, Genevieve offered her help to assist the still sleeping injured man. It didn't take long before Hugo barged into the tent, informing the two the others had come back from their trek. Looking back to Jack, Genevieve silently asked what Jack would do about the new information about Kate; however he didn't need to answer for the woman to know he still wasn't sure how to process the information. As the trio walked out of the tent, all of the survivors were gathered around those who went on the trek.

"The transceiver failed to pick up a signal. We weren't able to send out a call for help." As Sayid spoke, Genevieve watched the others, their expressions giving the distinct tell what the man was saying was a lie. A lot of the time Eric would say her gift was a curse, however at that moment Genevieve thanked her gift and named it as a blessing as she narrowed her eyes at the others. "We are not giving up. If we gather electronic equipment – your cellphones, laptops – I can boost the signal and we can try again. But this may take time, so for now we should begin rationing our remaining food. If it rains again, we should set up tarps to collect the water…"

The rest of the survivors began to nod in unison. However Sayid's voice began to become a dull him in the background as Gen and Jack approached the group. As Jack made a B line to Kate, Genevieve could tell they were both happy to see the other. And this made her smile as well, though the new information about who Kate really was, was a little disturbing fact; Gen knew Jack had some kind of feelings for the fugitive. "The two getting cozy already aren't they?"

Behind her, Sawyer stood hovering over her, a sly smirk across his face. Instantly the woman's face scrunched in disgusted as she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Taking a step aside, she looked up to the man, a glare pointed to him. "How about some space jackass." Rolling her eyes to him, Genevieve began walking away to where Claire was standing, wrapping an arm around the petite woman. "I don't know about you, but I'm kind of tired of all the false hope," the woman spoke. She wasn't sure exactly what had prompted her to speak such words – maybe it was the absence of rescue or the uselessness of the transceiver – but Genevieve could strongly feel her hope beginning to diminish.

Claire looked up to the older woman, a brow raised at her sudden change of heart; but said nothing. She knew there were others beginning to lose hope on rescue; a chance to leave the island and go back to the life they once had led. Averting her gaze to the group, Claire understood where her friend was coming from, however if Genevieve was beginning to lose hope, who else was supposed to keep Claire's head up? "When we least expect it, someone will come take us off the island," the blonde reassured her friend. Gen looked down to her friend, her eyes narrowed from the intense light from the sun.

"And when they do? Would they be willing to go deeper into the island and find my husband?" It was at that moment when Claire realized why Genevieve was losing hope; why her attitude was slowly changing. Feeling the woman's skin leave hers, Claire turned to find Genevieve sulking away from the rest of the group; she guessed toward their tent. However what Claire didn't know was how hurt Genevieve really was.

It had taken the brunette years to break down her walls for Eric; years to allow him to be let all the way in and see who she really was and why she kept such a guarded barrier. To know the only man brave enough to stick with her all those years to demolish each wall was somewhere out there on the island without her, broke her fragile heart.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Wasn't long after Genevieve had drifted off into dream world when Hugo came hurrying inside her tent. With sleepy eyes, Gen rose to her feet and followed the bigger man to where Jack was by the fuselage. The "death" that had plagued the broken plane didn't bother Genevieve a bit; she had been around death enough to accept it instead of fearing it. However, as they neared the fuselage, Genevieve could feel herself begin to panic. She knew what this was; could Eric's lifeless body be inside the plane still? Could he have been close to her all along? Keeping her gaze on the plane, Jack greeted her with a smile.

"I need help going inside there," Jack spoke, his voice low but sturdy. "You're the only other one I can think of that would be willing to join me in finding medications in what would be the left over luggage." Moving her attention onto Jack, Genevieve offered a small smile – confirming his suspicions. "Okay great." Reaching into his pockets, the man pulled out two colored bandanas. "To cover your face so the smell isn't so bad and there's a less chance for…"

"Infection, I got it," Genevieve finished as she stole one. Placing it over her face and tying it behind her head, Genevieve gave the man a nod. Jack handed her a flashlight and the duo entered the fuselage as the outside sky began to grow dark.

Inside the fuselage was eerily quiet, grim and downright creepy. Around every corner she'd look through, at each of her peripheral vision there was death all around her. Behind her, Jack was on his hands and knees, bandana tied over his face as he used his tiny pen-light to pop open an overhead compartment, removing a carry-on bag. Just as Genevieve was going to mimic his actions, within the fuselage there was a loud sound. Both heads turned forward, trying hard to adjust their eye sight to see what it was that occupied the inside of the makeshift cemetery. Jack rose to his feet, putting a hand on Genevieve's shoulder, walking in front of her. More movement was heard and both bodies froze in their place just before seeing a megawatt flashlight blasting in their faces.

"Boo." It was Sawyer who was on the other side of the fuselage. Pissed, Jack removed his bandana, inquiring why the redneck was in the plane. Showing the doctor what he had found, the man smiled. "Same as you; trick or treating."

"What's in the bag?" Jack asked, his annoyance quite noticeable.

"Booze. Smokes. Couple playboys. What's in yours?" Sawyer retaliated with.

"What's it to you?" Genevieve interrupted, stepping in front of Jack. Like her friend, Gen's patience was wearing thin, and normally when that happened nothing good came out of it. Sawyer's face brightened up as he noticed the challenge stepping in front of him. "We're simply looking for medicine, nothing less and nothing more. So if you have any, I would deem it wise you hand it over before something happens to you in here and you join the other deceased." Jack watched in awe as he was a bit taken back by Genevieve's words. With Kate as the face in the mug shot, Jack briefly wondered if all the women on the island were a bit insane.

"Wow, got that Latina fire in you, don't you?" Sawyer joked, a stupid smirk resting upon his lips. However, Gen was completely fed up with being such a nice person. With a single swing of her arm, the woman showed the redneck how much 'Latina fire' was really in her. Sawyer stumbled back, his hand covering his face.

"Gen!" Jack pulled the woman back, his eyes wide as he stared at her; however, it was easy to see the spark of amusement in his eyes too. Averting his gaze back to Sawyer, the man looked pissed.

"You're not seeing the big picture, Doc. You're still back in civilization."

"Yeah? And where are you?"

"I'm in the wild, sweetheart." And with that, Sawyer staggered off out of the fuselage with both set of eyes staring as he left.

"What was that?" Jack asked, his voice lowered and his breathing heavy. Giving Jack a shrug, Gen turned to follow Sawyer's footsteps. However, before she could leave, Jack grabbed hold of her arm. Like a flash of light, the woman maneuvered herself quick enough to throw him off her, and pin him down onto the group. Glaring at him, Gen huffed, not liking the woman she was starting to become once again.

"Come on, let's go check on the Marshal."

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Outside the fuselage showed the two how much the weather can change in just a few minutes. Water was pouring out from the sky and soaking everything in its way. Her dark hair dampened with each step she could alongside her friend on the way to the infirmary tent. No words were spoken, at least none from her. Jack on the other hand, had much to say about her little stunt. "It's not fair that I couldn't hit him but you could." Rolling her eyes to Jack, Genevieve was thankful for the tent being in eye view. Inside, the two could see shadows coming from inside the tent and what looked to be two people inside.

Quickening their pace, Jack moved faster than the woman, forcing himself inside the tent. From what Gen could see Jack pulled Kate aside from the Marshal almost choking her to death. "What the hell?" It happened all too fast; Jack placing the Marshal in a headlock pulling him away. Falling to the ground, the Marshal began to shake violently while the other three stood, watching as his seizure began.

Jack moved to the sick man, holding his shoulders down and doing what he can to make the seizure a little less painful. And while the man was preoccupied with that, Genevieve folded her arms across her chest as she glared at Kate.

"I was just checking to see how … He just grabbed me." Another lie from the fugitive; Genevieve shook her head. "How is…?"

"He's not responding to the antibiotics. He's septic – bleeding internally. Extremely dehydrated; fever's pushing 104." Jack trailed off a bit, realizing the truth in what he was about to say. "His abdomen is rigid which means he's gonna die." Looking up to the women, Jack couldn't stand to see Kate anymore. "Gen, he needs water." Giving him a curt nod, the woman gives a glare one last time to Kate before grabbing an empty plastic jug. Outside the tent, the rain water rushed down allowing Gen to easily obtain water in the bottle. Rushing outside behind her, Jack and Kate began arguing.

Keeping to herself, Gen listened in – a little surprised when Jack so blatantly confessed to knowing who she really was. Letting out a soft sigh, Genevieve snuck back inside the tent and sat the bottle of water down. For people who were just stranded on a deserted and strange island, there was too much drama going on.

Sneaking out from the tent, the woman walked back to the tent she shared with Claire. A strenuous sigh escaped her lips as the woman thought about everything she had been through in her childhood and even after. However, nothing she had been through would have prepared herself for life's worse lesson everyone eventually learns; everyone leaves.

* * *

><p>Thank you for reading! Feel free to review!<p>

Jules Jay xoxo


	4. Walkabout

**Disclaimer:**

_I do not own Lost or any of the brilliant fictional characters from the show. I do however own my two characters of Eric and Genevieve Mendez._

* * *

><p><strong>Walkabout<strong>

That night Genevieve couldn't acquire much sleep. Her mind was buzzing wildly with different thoughts; mainly her angel and devil versions of herself fighting each other. For years the woman was Genevieve – the calm, collective and understanding person so many knew. However, it had taken even longer for the woman to become that way. Anyone that truly knew her would know Gen had a rough past – a past that caused her to become someone she never wanted to be again. However, there was one person in particular on the island that was brewing the old Genevieve; Sawyer.

Normally she wouldn't give a second thought to such a lowlife scumbag like that, however he knew just the right words to say to push her buttons. The right words, the right facial expressions – the right everything to make her want to continue to punch his face in.

Hearing the loud sound of a dog barking, Genevieve sat up in her sleeping bag quiet to not wake up Claire. However as she looked to her side, the blonde was nowhere to be seen. Quickly Gen rose and exited her tent, seeing most of the survivors huddled around the entrance of the fuselage. Small camp fires occupied the beach, creating the only illumination for the night as Genevieve walked beside Jack. Inside the fuselage came a low growl and rustling as if someone was inside the makeshift cemetery. As the other survivors whispered to each other, guessing what it could possibly be, Jack spoke under his breath, blaming Sawyer for the disturbance.

"Standing right behind you, jackass." Jack turned to look back over his shoulder to, indeed, find Sawyer standing there. A small smirk form along Gen's lips as her gaze stayed inside the plane. Rattling continued as Jack took out his pen-light, walking toward to commotion. Kate called after the man while Sawyer trailed along behind him. Just the mere scent Sawyer radiated irritated the woman, causing her to take a few steps back away from the linger cologne.

The two men bravely walked up to the opening of the ruined fuselage, Kate and Charlie following close behind them. Genevieve happily stayed back, finding Claire standing with Sayid. Like a protective mother, Gen placed an arm around Claire, holding her against her petite body. If something were to happen, Gen wanted to make sure both Claire and the baby would be okay. The group of survivors watched as those who were brave enough investigated the noise; closer and closer they walked. However, as Sawyer stupidly beamed his light inside the fuselage, whatever was creating fear throughout the group scurried out; wild boars.

All the survivors ran away from the boars, finding shelter within the camp and the debris from the plane. Genevieve gripped tightly on Claire, pushing the blonde behind her, shielding her from the potential threat. Once the animals were out of the camp and back into the forest, Gen looked to Jack who was staring back at her – worried. "Claire, go with Hugo; I'll be back."

_**-X- -X- -X-  
><strong>_

Inside the infirmary tent, Jack was dressed Charlie's wounds as Kate, Sayid and Genevieve stood around. As he was working on the cut, Jack addressed the elephant in the room, claiming they needed to somehow get rid of the bodies. This Genevieve agreed with and had already thought it was due time to do so. But Charlie was right; there were at least twenty bodies inside the fuselage; burying all of them would be a hassle. "We burn them," Genevieve spoke, her voiced opinion obviously being criticized by Kate and Sayid. Rolling her eyes to the other woman, Gen folded her arms, inquiring what the problem was. "I know they're people, Kate…"

"Burning the remains…they deserve better than-" Sayid interrupted.

"Than what?" Jack voiced receiving a glare from Kate. "Getting eaten by wild animals? 'Cause that's what's gonna happen. Any bodies we bury won't stay buried for long." Letting out a sigh, Jack rose to his feet and walked to the side of Genevieve – the only person that seemed to view things the way he did. "I know it seems harsh but that fuselage, in the sun…it's not about what they deserve."

"They're gone and we're not," Genevieve finished for him, keeping her gaze down to the ground. Sayid continued to speak, voicing his opinion on the matter. However, as the small group continued speaking, Genevieve walked over to Charlie, taking one last look at his wound. Beckoning Jack over, she pointed out a few more spots needing to be cleaned before she stood straight. As the woman placed her hands into her back pockets, Genevieve decided it was her time to leave.

She missed her home. She missed her bed. She missed watching re-runs of the Golden Girls and Will & Grace whenever she couldn't sleep. She missed being able to go to the gym in the morning and run to Charmed on TNT. She missed ice cream, she missed chicken. She even missed the disgusting smell of gasoline when pumping gas into her car. What she missed the most was her husband. Making her way down to the beach, where she would normally see the older dark-skinned woman, Genevieve decided she no longer wanted to sleep.

They were stuck on an island, why was she sleeping? If anything the woman should be trying to come up with a way to get off the island. She should be coming up with a way to find her husband.

Her mind continued to race with a bunch of different thoughts and emotions, long enough it didn't click in her mind that the sun was rising. A painting of yellows and oranges littered the sky, the beautiful ocean coating of mysterious dark red. It was a sight the woman had never seen before and was surprised she was only seeing it now after how many days they were on the island. Gripping her wedding ring which was hanging from her necklace, Genevieve kissed it before getting to her feet and making her way to the others.

Jack, a bandana around his neck, was standing supervising as various other huddled wood and brush. Thankfully taking Michael's delivery, he passed it on to a chain of two other men inside the cabin who were also wearing cloth around their faces to prevent any types of diseases entering their bodies; but largely to avoid the smell of rotting flesh. Waiting for the next set of wood to be brought in, Jack's eyes scanned the beach to find a small gathering of four or five castaways mingling within each other, occasionally peering over to the fuselage. Among them was Claire, who continued to look at Jack before crossing over to him.

"Excuse me Doctor," she spoke, her timid voice barely scraping above the sound of the waves hitting the beach.

"Jack," he confirmed, pulling his bandana down. "Claire, right? You're the one Genevieve keeps huddling around to make sure the baby is okay." Many others noticed Genevieve's behavior around Claire, and Jack was one of them. "How' the..?" he asked, pointing toward her stomach.

"Good, he's good," Claire answered as a small smile forming as her hand rubbed over her protruding stomach. "Genevieve is actually who I came to you to talk about." Jack raised a brow to her words, worry automatically beginning to form. "I think maybe you should see this." She handed the doctor a few folded, partially singed papers. "Somebody found it in there. We're collecting belongings and they came across this." The pages contained hand written notes accompanied by color photographs of a happy couple, lovely bridal gown, a luxurious beach resort, floral arrangements and more. However the one main thing that caught Jack's attention was the smiling face of Genevieve. Almost unrecognizable, Jack wondered what had happened to the young looking, free-spirited woman he was looking at.

Jack quickly returned the pages to the woman, awkward under the weight of the raw emotion he was beginning to brew. "Since you probably see her more than I do, how you about give those to her."

"Actually, I was going to ask if you could since me and a couple of people are still going through the belongings. Plus she didn't come back to the tent last night and …"

"She what?" Jack asked, wide eyed.

"She didn't come back to the tent last night." Jack slowly backed away, scanning the survivors for Gen's familiar face. "I assumed she was with you since…you guys seem to be getting cozy." The last part wasn't audible to the man since we was forcing his legs to continue moving.

The rest of the survivors seemed to be making a dent into the new day, immediately getting to work on their previous chores. Within the middle of the group were two bodies fighting with each other; what looked to Genevieve as Hugo and the unlikable redneck. Raising a brow, the woman made it just in time as the others joined the two – finding out the lack of food for them. Immediately Genevieve thought of the boars; if they weren't able to eat whatever the fuselage had for them, the next step would be to hunt the animals on the island. And this was something that was made very clear by the bald-headed man after he threw and successful stuck a knife into the cushion of the airplane seat next to Sawyer.

All eyes from the survivors followed the trail of the knife to Locke, wide and filled with puzzle. As the fact slowly began to sink in, Gen could see hesitation and fear settle among the group. But just as anyone was able to say anything, Kate stepped forward.

"How were you able to get that knife on the plane?" she asked, her voice full of suspicion. The man's eyes locked with hers for a moment before he answered. As two man spoke, Jack pulled the knife out from the seat. Secretly, Gen wished Jack would keep the knife; it would be good to have in times of crisis. However Jack graciously handed the knife back to the man, sizing him up for the first time. Genevieve followed Jack's footsteps, trying to get a read on him. Normally it would be fairly easy for the woman to do so – what with her profession and all – but as he stood there speaking with Jack and describing wild boar, Genevieve couldn't make anything stick.

Who was this guy?

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

As much as Jack pleaded Genevieve to accompany those leaving to hunt, the woman decided she would stay back during this trek. Hunting wasn't one of her strong suits; in fact she had never hunted a day in her life. It wasn't something that had caught her attention to kill an innocent, un-expecting animal just for the sake of game or eating it. And sure, one could argue that the boars were beginning to enter their only residence of survival, but they were the ones new to the island; probably on their land. So instead, Genevieve decided to take a day on the beach and try to easy her mind, maybe even relax.

While the rest of the survivors continued to sort through the belongings in the fuselage, Genevieve took a seat on the airplane seats set specifically for looking out to the ocean. Taking in a deep breath, the woman closed her eyes to enjoy the sound of her surroundings. As she zoned her ears to listen into the waves hitting the ocean, a smile grew on her face. It was as if she never left the beach beside her Australian honeymoon, Eric just a few feet away. A margarita in one hand and a paper fan in the other, Genevieve could still smell the berries in her drink.

"Gen." A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes were forced open to see Jack hovering over her; his body blocking the sun's rays from hitting her body. Raising a brow to him, the woman pleaded so he wouldn't try and beg for her assistance during the trek. But instead, Jack surprised her with a shake of his head, claiming that wasn't the reason why he was there. "Actually, I came over to give this to you." Looking to his hands, Genevieve noticed a very familiar scrapbook. With a slight tilt to the head and her eyes widened, Genevieve reached for the book, her breathing stopped. "Claire found it and thought it best I gave it to you." In her lap stared back a picture of Eric and herself, smiling as he carried her bridal-style out from the church they had gotten married at. "He was a lucky guy." And with that, Jack left her to continue going through the fuselage.

A silent tear fell upon her cheek as her hand went to open the book. But just as her eyes fell on the first picture, she heard a loud yell.

"Watch out!" Her eyes snapped open just in time to see a large golden retriever barreling toward her. Opening her arms toward the dog, the woman happily embraced the overzealous dog while he licked her face and wagged his tail. Laughter escaped from her throat – the first in a few days – as the owner run toward her. "I'm sorry, sometimes he's too strong for me to hold him."

"Oh, that's perfectly all right. I love dogs," Gen responded, a smile still plastered on her face. Petting the dog, she couldn't help but feel her heart melt. "What's his name?"

"Vincent," the owner answered with a goofy smile. "And I'm Walt."

"Yeah, you're Michael's kid right?" she inquired, her eyes averting back and forth to the canine and the boy. "You're not really good at listening to him are you?" There had been many times when Michael would stagger up to the woman, asking if she had seen his son. However, each time the woman failed to keep her eyes open to what was around her long enough to notice what someone was doing even a few yards away.

"He's my dad, but he's never been there for me." This saddened Genevieve; she knew what it was like to have an absentee father.

"I know how that's like," she informed him, pulling herself back up to the chair. Patting the seat next to her, Gen beckoned for the child to sit next to him. "Not to bore you with a story from an adult; not like you really have anything else to do around here, but my father was basically in and out of my life for twelve years. While he was with my mother and me, he was abusive; always drinking, always doing drugs. He was like a ticking time bomb. Any little thing would set him off. There were many times where I'd do something wrong or my mother would and his instant reaction would be to beat us." Walt's eyes widened with a hint of thankfulness in his expression.

Genevieve continued to tell the intrigued boy her story; the story of her childhood and the hardships she had to endure with her family – or rather lack thereof. But it wasn't all for nothing; there was a point. The fact that his father was trying to have a relationship with him now was a blessing, not a curse. Many children do not have the luxury of having a father around.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Looking down to her still functioning watch, a habit the woman seemed to have contracted after a few days on the island, she couldn't help but sigh. It seemed time was limitless on the prison as it moved slowly. The hot sun almost made surviving unbearable, but the soft ocean breeze felt as if someone was stroking the hair from her face. She leaned back against her arms on the beach, watching while the other survivors lived their lives as best as they could; it was quite amusing. Because of her strong love for people watching, Gen had begun analyzing the actions of the others; or that could have been her Master's in Psychology, either way, she could still sense everyone was jumpy from the recent events. But there was one person Genevieve was mostly interested in; Rose. The older woman's situation was much similar to her own; their husbands were missing. The only difference between them was Genevieve's strength to help the manifest while Rose continued to sit by the water, staring to the horizon.

Gen did feel sorry for her, but knew if she did absolutely nothing, the knowledge of knowing her husband was somewhere lost on the island or dead would cause her to go insane.

"People watching again?" Genevieve jumped from the voice being so close but tried to hide it by leaning forward, resting her chin against her knees. Seeing the Jack standing behind her, an amuse smirk running along his lips, her heart slowed to its normal rate while she gave a smile.

"I told you, it's a hobby," she answered with a shrug, turning back. It didn't take long for Genevieve's eyes to find Sawyer sitting in his makeshift home, his eyes following along to the book he had occupying his hands. Tilting her head, the woman watched while his lips slightly moved along and his eyes squinted. _Glasses_, she thought. It probably would come to a shock to the man if she waltzed up to him and declared he needed glasses. Then she would have to admit she was watching him from a distance. And as if she didn't feel like a stalker enough, that was the last thing she needed.

_My eyes fluttered open as I stretched across the soft king sized bed. Memories of the previous night filled my mind as I held the blanket to my chest while I sat up. The room was empty, but his clothes were still lying on the floor. A bit confused, I listened to my surroundings; shower going off. Letting my legs fall from the edge of the bed, I got to my feet. Walking over to the bathroom door, I listened in, hearing him singing; I rolled my eyes as I shook my head. Quietly opening the door, I let the blanket fall to the floor as I jumped in the shower with him. "Good morning Mrs. Mendez." A gleaming smile rose from my lips, hearing my new name._

"_Good morning Mr. Mendez," I greeted back, running my hands down his back. Eric Mendez, my husband, knew how to treat a women and how to make her feel beautiful. We had been together for almost three years, meeting at a movie theater. I was supposed to have met someone else that night, but instead, Eric was the one who randomly showed up and offered me a movie then dinner; I accepted. Since then, we've been a happy couple._

_Bringing me back from my thoughts, Eric switched places with me in the shower, having the water now hit me. The warm liquid washing over my body was like a sip of rum for an alcoholic; simply refreshing. It felt as if all my troubles and worries melted away. "I gotta get out," he said, grabbing his towel, wiping it over his face. Nodding, I continued my hot shower in peace, listening to the sounds of the water hitting my skin._

Staring out to the water, Genevieve snapped back into reality when the doctor sat next to her, joining the watch. Nothing was said at first, but then of course, Genevieve wasn't really one to initiate conversations first. Jack, on the other hand, had other plans and continuously intended to carry on conversations with her for reasons she wasn't quite sure of.

Without looking at the doctor, Gen sighed. "Let her keep her hope," she insisted. "Rose," Genevieve clarified, "Let her keep believing her husband is alive."

"Why? The chances of Bernard being alive are one to seventeen thousand." Jack spoke with such authority it almost made her sick. Though the woman was familiar with his kind of personality, it still brought a slight discomfort to her soul knowing it was he who was the unofficial leader of the group. It also took a hit to her personally since he knew about her own husband.

"And the chances of us getting rescued are one in a million at this point. Yet, you still want the survivors to keep that hope." Genevieve finally looked to the doctor, analyzing his body language – trying hard to decipher why Jack felt the need to be an authoritative figure on the island.

"That's different."

"Is it Jack? We all need something to believe in; don't take that away from her." The two stared at each other for what seemed like hours until Jack finally looked away, giving his attention to the Rose. Genevieve leaned forward to see what took his attention away, seeing the older woman still staring out into the horizon. "Go talk to her, give her some water – I don't know maybe she'll crack for you?" Nodding, Jack thanked Genevieve nd began making his way over to Rose. Feeling a little accomplished, the woman resumed her extracurricular activity and continued looking around to the survivors only to notice Sawyer approaching her. Rolling her eyes, Genevieve rose to her feet and began walking the other direction.

"Wait Maria." Quickly stopping, the woman whipped around.

"Stop calling me Maria. Just because I'm Hispanic does not mean that's my name."

"Unless you want your new name to be sexy Latina fire, I'd say deal with it." Still glaring at him, Gen folded my arms across her chest, raising a brow. "Fine," he gave in. "You're a psychologist, right?"

"Who wants to know?" she asked, getting a little more irritated by the fact that it had probably been Jack that spread that fact to the other survivors.

"I do."

"Why?" Moving her hands from her chest to her hips, he could tell she was getting impatient.

"'Cause maybe I need some counseling." Everything in her told the woman to just turn around and walk away, but instead an involuntary laugh escaped her throat.

"The first step is acceptance Sawyer, but I do believe you're far beyond help." Rolling her eyes, she turned again and continued walking.

"Come on Maria, I really need to talk!"

"Talk to a rock!" Gen yelled back. "That might be the only thing that would actually care." Some might have found it harsh for the woman, especially since she did spend a good chunk of her previous years sitting down and listening to victims of all ages – helping them in every way she possibly could. But there was one thing she would never admit to the other survivors, and that was her strange fascination with the redneck.

Genevieve wasn't sure what had brought her there, but she knew there had to be a reason why she was sitting on the other side of Rose. The woman had just finished telling the older one about her own husband and how Eric was also lost somewhere out on the island or dead. Pain had begun coursing through her veins, a pain that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

"His fingers swell." Both Gen and Jack exchanged glances, surprised Rose had finally said something. "Bernard. My husband. His hands swell up when we fly. He started having me hold onto his wedding ring whenever we took a plane trip; always wore it around my neck for safe keeping. Just until we landed, you see..." Rose finally looked away from the ocean waves and to Jack, her expression hopeful. "Y'know doctor, you don't need to keep your promise."

"Promise?"

"The one you made to me on the plane. To keep me company until my husband got back from the restroom." Rose smiled at him, a light glint of happiness. "I'm letting you off the hook." Genevieve smiled too; it was good to know there was still kindness inside the doctor. True kindness, not forced like he had been exerting all this time on the island.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Dusk had quickly come, a sign for the survivors to begin filling the beach as unison. After Genevieve left Rose and Jack conversing, the woman went to find her own friend, Claire. Sitting on a blanket, the two friends organized the various licenses, passports, pictures and other documents when five more wallets were suddenly tossed into the pile. The women looked up to find Sawyer standing over them.

"These were…uh – found these the other day when I was…" Sighing, Sawyer shook his head and shrugged. "Ah, hell. Just take 'em." Claire politely thanked him before grabbing the new wallets. As Sawyer began walking away from them, Genevieve excused herself and rushed to join him. Calling his name, she was shocked to see he had immediately turned. Stopping in her tracks, Gen looked up to him – his deep blue eyes staring down at her with a hint of anger bursting from them.

"Look, I just want to apologize for how I was earlier," she began. Sawyer went to stop her, but Genevieve silenced him. "I have all the excuses in the world to deny you an ear to talk to or a shoulder to lean on and I told all of them to myself before I ever stopped to think that you might be an asshole for an actual reason." The man let out a soft chuckle at her words, his expression softening. "So…I guess I'm saying that whenever you do need someone to talk to, my schedule is un-expectedly wide open."

"Gee thanks Fire," Sawyer spoke with a nod before he continued walking to his makeshift tent. _Fire,_ Genevieve thought, liking that nickname so much better than any others he had previously said. Making her way back to Claire, she received a look from the blonde. Returning a glare, Genevieve helped Claire on her feet to prepare for the tribute. The duo walked over to where Hugo had set luggage high enough to use as a table top; Hugo already waiting with Boone accompanying him with a torch. The larger man happily handed Claire a few papers he had found as a handful of group members set the fuselage on fire. Smoke and fiery embers rose up against the night sky as Claire began reading the names for their dead fellow passengers.

It was a memoir collected of just the week past; pictures and letters the two wrote for each other for future years whenever they'd have a fight. But as Genevieve held onto it behind her back, a silent tear fell as she took a step forward. "Eric Mendez. Thirty-three years old; a doctorate in the Astro Physics field. A wonderful son, a beautiful husband and an even greater human being. We were in love and were newlyweds. And at least wherever he is now, he's keeping my mother company." A hand rested on her shoulder as she spoke, Hugo doing his best to comfort a friend in need. Genevieve felt his hand fall back to his side as she stepped forward, throwing her scrapbook into the burning flames.

From a distance she could see Sawyer's eyes staring back at her; the blue gleaming with the hot fire. Her stare didn't falter although she could see the mimicked pain in his own eyes. And while the two continued staring, distantly comforting each other, Jack watched closely at a distance.


	5. White Rabbit

**Disclaimer:**

_I do not own Lost or any of the brilliant fictional characters from the show. I do however own my two characters of Eric and Genevieve Mendez._

_#tw: suicide attempt #tw: cutting_

* * *

><p><strong>White Rabbit<strong>

That night had finally brought the woman a beautiful sense of peace and a relaxing evening – so much she was able to allow a deep slumber to come. The sand had almost felt as if she was still lying in her hotel room bed however her backpack caused her neck to stiffen up. This hadn't been brought to Genevieve's attention until the sound of an Australia accent yelling the doctor's name woke her up. Sitting up, Genevieve kept her eyes closed until her sand covered hands ran down her face, sleep being pushed from her eyes. The sun was bright that morning; the sun's rays reflecting off the almost transparent ocean. A light so bright even through her tent she could see the glare. "Jack!" Something clicked in Genevieve's mind as she realized Charlie's voice sounded desperate.

"Claire, stay here," Genevieve warned as she quickly jumped to her feet, galloping out of her tent. Shielding her eyes from the sun's glare, the woman ran toward Charlie as the doctor stoop to his feet - disoriented. Charlie, hysterical, was pointing toward the ocean. In the distance the woman could see a figure waving and a vague voice screaming for help. Eyes widened, both Genevieve and Charlie watched as Jack pulled off his shirt as he sprinted toward the water, diving in. Many of the other group members joined the two, all eyes on Jack's heroic action.

Jack's arm cut through the water – his face emerging every ten strokes to take a gaping breath. The person was off in the distance struggling to keep their head above water. Just as Jack appeared to be close enough, the body disappeared under the surface of the water. Frantic, Jack searched around him, looking and listening for whoever was out. Finally, Jack ducked under the water, grabbing at nothing – reaching for anything that could potentially be the person he went out to save.

Coming up to the surface once again, Jack took in a deep breath of air before plummeting back under the surface. The doctor would be damned to allow another group member to die under his watch; not today, not any day. Reaching once again, Jack finally grabbed onto what felt like an arm. And in one shift movement, the man pulled toward the surface, pulling Boone and himself out from the water.

Alive, Boone coughed out the water from his lungs, gasping for air as Jack assured him everything would be fine. The doctor wrapped his "patient" into a cross-chest carry and began to swim back to the shore. "Did you get her?" Boone asked, his lips shivering from the cold water. Jack stared at his fellow islander. "The woman…out there…I was trying to…Did you get her?" Instantly Jack turned back away from the shore, treading water with one arm and holding Boone afloat. Panicked. Handheld. Jack scanned the ocean from side to side. How could he have not seen?

And that's where he sees her. Another hundred yards out was the woman Boone was also trying to save; and Genevieve stroking quickly to reach the drowning woman. "You have to get her," Boone pleaded, his breath slowly becoming normal. Boone's words never reached Jack's ears since his admiring eyes watched while Genevieve took hold of the woman. With one swift movement, his friend gave a thumbs up before she began her trek back to the beach with the heaving woman.

"She's okay," the doctor admitted. "Someone else got her." There was Boone, exhausted and weighing like a sack of rocks in Jack's arm while the doctor pushed to trek both the men back to the shore to meet up with the others. How Genevieve knew Jack was not headed in the right direction was a question the doctor continuously asked in his own mind.

As Jack heroically pulled Boone out of the shallows and onto the safety of the beach, the other group survivors grouped around as they watched the men emerge. Kate and Charlie helped heave Boone out from the ocean while Genevieve sat with the tired woman on the beach, the woman helping with her breathing. Gen's eyes averted to meet Jack's, a nod of understanding exchanged from the two. Kate and Charlie moved to help Boone reach his own shelter, however was stopped when the man pushed away. He was angry. Angry he wasn't able to save the woman himself. Angry he had almost gotten himself killed along with the drowning woman. Why wasn't he able to take care of the group like Jack could?

Boone had been staring out to the horizon for what felt like hours. Genevieve watched him not too far away, her own thoughts buzzing wildly as she imagined how it could have felt to fail at saving the helpless woman. But what was that woman doing out so far from the beach anyway? A morning swim gone wrong? Was the woman hallucinating and saw a rescue ship out a-ways? Questions she would be able to answer soon once Joanna was awake from her 'after near death' nap. But while Genevieve watched the man, something was brought to her attention. Her degree and everything she was taught in school might actually come in handy on the beach – or it could end up as everyone hating her for wanting people to talk. How else were people going to let out their lingering frustrations and anger? Punching a fellow survivor? Letting out a soft sigh, Genevieve decided against approaching Boone and went to follow the dynamic duo.

Following close behind them as they walked passed, Genevieve listened to the two of them speak about the woman. Joanna; a common name where she was from. Poor woman had the unfortunate luck to end up with that plane even when her doctor advised against it.

"Did you see that?" Both Genevieve and Kate looked to where the doctor was pointing, seeing no evidence of the 'man' Jack had been claiming was there. A red flag flickered inside the woman's mind; if the doctor begins to go mad, the entire camp might actually go off into a _Lord of the Flies_ twist.

"Jack, when was the last time you slept?" Genevieve asked, knowing in a very high and stressful situation like such, one's sleeping pattern could be disrupted, causing the mind to hallucinate. As the man left the two women alone, Gen and Kate both watched as he left. Worry was written all over Kate's face; worry and sorrow. "You really care about him, don't you?" Genevieve asked, a small smirk forming at the corner of her lips. Kate's gaze averted to Gen before rolling her eyes and sulking off. Without giving it much thought, Gen shrugged it off and made her way back to the beach.

Boone continued sitting where he was, staring off into the horizon while his eyes glossed over. It was apparent he was physically on the beach, but his mind was completely somewhere different; a look which was common on the island. Genevieve could see on many of the survivor's faces the glossed over eyes; memories striking each one. The woman was always taught to never dwell on the past. Though it would always be a part of you and we learn and grow from the mistakes, living in the present was a much safer idea. Her mother was a very wise woman – and if Genevieve could tell her the advice would come in handy because of her current situation, her mother would deem her crazy.

Not far from where Boone was, Kate stood folding clothes. As much as Genevieve still was not fond of the other woman, she had to admit Kate was keeping up the 'civilized girl' act pretty well. A sigh escaped her lips as she approached her, offering help. Kate graciously accepted, pushing the pile of clothes toward the middle of them. Genevieve took a white T-shirt and folded it neatly as her mother taught her. Tossing aside an unwearable shirt, Gen looked up to the other woman with a raised brow. "What did you do anyway?" Gen asked, curiosity written all over her tone. Kate froze as her eyes widened. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. Just a little curious since I used to work with criminals."

"Don't call me that," Kate demanded with her attention fully on Genevieve. Both brunettes stood motionless, staring at each other. Genevieve couldn't help but smirk; leave it to her to push buttons. "You don't know anything about me."

"What I do know is at heart you are a good person and whatever it is you're wanted for is from something that was out of your control." Kate kept her gaze on Genevieve as she spoke. With every word Kate's hands lowered onto the makeshift counter. "I'm guessing with your silence and lack of expression on your face that I'm right. Want to know what else I know?" Kate shook her head, continuing her folding. "I'm gonna tell you anyway…I know you care about Jack and you're surprised you do since you haven't cared about someone in a very long time."

"Okay that's enough. I don't know how you know that but you need to stop."

"I know that because it's evident in the way you present yourself and your expressions. My occupation before coming onto this dreaded island trained me to read someone's expression's without even talking to them. Something called body language; which actually accounts for seventy-five percent of what we say. A little gift from the Man upstairs." Kate wasn't able to have a word in since Claire approached the two, inquiring for a brush. The two women spoke as Genevieve continued sorting through the clothes. It struck up again in the woman's mind to set up her own little tent to allow others to vent and to keep her degree in working use again. Letting out a sigh, Genevieve looked up to the females and interrupted. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go see if the woman I saved is up yet, I gotta ask her a few questions." Before the other woman could say anything, Genevieve tossed the clothing item she had toward Kate and began on her way.

Not like she wasn't overly thrilled on listening in to Claire speak about the personalities of Zodiac signs, however Gen didn't believe in that kind of stuff. Sure, she believed more than half the information she read was spot on, but Genevieve also believed she was in charge of what happened in her own life – not a little paragraph.

While Genevieve made the small voyage across the beach to reach Joanna's tent, her eyes fell upon Sawyer and Shannon speaking. Sawyer's amused smirk was plastered on his face while Shannon wore her face of disgust very well. Shaking her head, Genevieve let out a small chuckle while she finally reached Joanna's tent. Moving the flap, the woman quietly entered inside, her eyes falling upon the resting woman. She looked to be young; Gen guessed in her early twenties. Her mangled blonde hair was entangled with sand; her sunken eyes were shut while her breathing was inconsistent. Genevieve raised a brow at this sight. The even more horrifying sight was the fresh cuts on the young woman's arm.

It is said whenever death comes close to someone who attempts suicide, that person realizes their mistake. In many cases during her occupation, Genevieve had seen this statement to become true. And while her eyes stayed glued on the fresh wounds, Genevieve couldn't help but feel sorry for the young blonde. Had living on the island been such a hassle for her? Even the rich and spoiled Shannon was hanging in there; why couldn't Joanna? Just as she was going to wake the woman from her slumber, Genevieve heard her name being called.

A sigh escaped her lips. _Guess we'll do this later,_ she thought as she exited the tent, seeing Hugo and Charlie both looking around the tent for her. Waving them down, she inquired on the urgency of their calls. "We have something to show you." With that, Genevieve tiredly followed behind the men, wondering where their 'king' was.

Genevieve stood with Hugo and Charlie, in front of them a rain station. A jury-rigged tarp meant to collect water hung astoundingly but all their attention was on the red suitcase. Inside it, carefully arranged, were bottles of water. This alarmed the woman as her eyes counted enough to hydrate almost half the survivor population. "People just took what they needed 'cause, y'know, we were supposed to be rescued. But uh – we weren't. And it hasn't rained." As Hugo spoke, Genevieve's mind had already begun buzzing wildly with ideas on how to solve the water problem. "It's getting pretty toasty out here. When people find out this is it, they're gonna freak out."

"And the boar's running low until we can catch another one. What should we tell them?" Charlie questioned, chiming in at the most inappropriate time. Genevieve sent a glare to the Australian, her aggravation already on high. Without answering the two men, Gen decided it would be best to find Jack and speak it over with him. He might not be the 'king' in her eyes, but it was always good to speak it over with another intelligent mind to get the best solution. The men exchanged glances as Genevieve began her search for the crippling doctor. There must have been a reason why they had opted talking to her; either Jack had ran off away from them, or they couldn't find him either.

Part of the woman hoped Jack was finally sleeping in his tent; a well needed nap could help the doctor. But she knew men like him. Jack, as she could tell, was the kind of man that wouldn't allow failure to be an option. The fact that Jack had swam into the ocean and grabbed Boone instead bothered him – this Genevieve knew. Boone wasn't even visible to anyone on the island; no one knew Boone was out there. However, she realized Jack was not headed in the right direction which prompted the woman to go off on her own rescue mission. This topic was going to be an awkward one to bring up whenever she faced the doctor, but whatever was bothering him first was the main priority.

Stopping in her tracks, Genevieve watched as Boone began yelling at the doctor by the infirmary tent where Joanna resided; Jack's eyes emotionless and tired. The men walked off, Jack trying to escape. Boone had a different plan and stopped him in his tracks. "Boone!" Genevieve ran over to the angered man, pushing him aside. "Don't you see he is as affected by this as you are? The current was strong, the water was cold and there was no telling how far Joanna was. Give it a rest." Her stunning brown eyes bore into Boone's blue orbs; fire and rage coursing through her veins while Jack's attention was on the forest. And like a flash of lightening, Jack took off toward whatever his eyes had fallen upon.

Boone yelled after him, demanding the doctor's attention while Genevieve watched in confusion. _How many days has it been?_ she questioned. How many days has it been since they had fallen from the sky and onto the god forsaken island? Too many. And it had been too many days since Jack had gotten any sleep. "He's hallucinating," Genevieve mumbled under her breath. All eyes watched as Jack ran passed them and into the forest. "Dammit, I didn't ask for this job."

As fast as her legs carried her, Genevieve ran after the doctor, only this time the survivors continued on their daily chores without glancing up. Recently it was normal to see people running around, no one bats and eye. As she neared the forest where Jack had entered, Genevieve quickly stopped, seeing the doctor on the ground. "Jack!" The leaves lightly hit her reddened cheeks as she kneeled to the ground, holding the man in her lap. "What are you saying?" _Gone … he's gone … he's gone… _Genevieve couldn't make out what Jack was mumbling but her gazed followed his. Emptiness. There was nothing in front of the two but more trees, tall grass and sand. Without a word, Jack rose to his feet and began rampaging through the tree leaves. Quickly, Genevieve followed close behind him. "Jack!" The doctor kept his gaze forward, his feet moving quickly. "Jack! Slow down! Talk to me!" Nothing.

Left. Right. Twists and turns. Jack moved in every direction in search for some unseenable force. Constantly mumbling 'where are you?' under his breath. Genevieve followed, deeply concerned about the doctor's sanity. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" Jack's voice echoed through the trees and into the air. Birds chirped wildly in response to his booming voice while something shook within Genevieve. It was then, when she finally took a good look at his face, when she saw guilt. Guilt? Had Jack been hallucinating someone he had wronged back home? Someone he truly cared about?

"Jack?" Still no answer from the man, however his eyes fixated on yet again, nothing. But Genevieve knew in his mind, something … or rather someone was there in the trees. The doctor began running after it, Genevieve continuing to keep a watchful eye on the doctor. They ran for what seemed like hours while Jack continued searching for whom ever it was he was guilty about hurting. "Jack! Slow down! I can't keep up without wa…" Her eyes widened as she watched the man's feet fly over his head – his body falling into a ditch. "No!" Running toward him, Genevieve watched as his frail body spun down the hill, hitting every open branch on the way down. Carefully, the woman trekked her way down following him. However, the steepness of the hill was too much and she began tumbling down the hill after him. Unlike the doctor, Genevieve's body stopped just before going over the stone ledge, but her head roughly hit a rock causing her to blackout.

Jack and Locke sat while Genevieve lay unconscious in between them. Walking in on the right time, Locke was able to pull Jack up from the stone ledge he was struggling to climb and haul Genevieve into the forest where it was cooler and safer. As she slept, the men spoke on how to help the others and Jack's fear of failing the survivors. The older man also achieved on getting Jack to admit what was happening in his mind and the island. And while Locke spoke about the island, that was when Genevieve came to. Listening to his words, the woman's rational mind wanted to shut down everything the man was saying. However, the child inside of her wanted to believe what he was saying.

"A leader can't lead until he knows where he's going." And with those mysterious words, Locke sulked off into the forest to find water for the survivors. That was also a good cue for Genevieve to open her eyes. However when she did, a headache so heinous presented itself. Hearing her groan, Jack kneeled down to her.

"Not too fast," he instructed her. "You hit your head pretty good." Genevieve eyes opened again, seeing the man and his tired face.

"You don't believe his bullshit do you?" she inquired, making the doctor smile.

"I don't know, really," Jack answered shrugging. "A part of me wants to – but I'm a doctor of science. Everything I was taught goes against fate and destiny."

Night came and Jack managed to start a fire with wood and rocks. Genevieve sat closely to the fire, her hands extended to gain heat. The nights were cool by the beach and inside her tent. However, out in the open where it was hard to see if something was coming after you had a sense of vulnerability she did not like. Jack stared deeply into the fire, as if it had all the answers to his problems. The woman refused to speak as his eyes began to slowly move side to side – an indication Jack was remembering something from his past. The absent look on his face seemed to be a familiar and permanent one for that day since he had failed to save the right drowning person. It was sad for Genevieve to watch such a once strong man begin to falter and fall apart right in front of her; even as he began to cry.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she sorely inched her way toward him. Leaning a comforting hand, she moved his head to fall on her shoulder as he began sobbing. Though she worked with troubled and pained children, Genevieve was never good a comforting the weeping; something about having a loss for words once a patient reached that level. No, Genevieve was all about empowering and showing others they were able to pick up the broken pieces themselves to continue their lives like the pain was never there. "I don't know what's going on in that brain of yours Jack," the woman began, her words soft. "But I know that sometimes holding the weight of the world – or in this case the survivors – is tough. But know that I am here, and there are others who do care about you who are able to help you carry the weight when the burden is too much for you." Jack lifted his head from her shoulders, his eyes looking to her face. He searched for an evidence of disgust or deceiving – but instead he found compassion. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a jingle behind him and movement in the forest.

Genevieve followed his stare to the forest, praying he wasn't hallucinating again. But as he took a burning branch and began walking, she grew sad. Following him closely, Genevieve kept searching her surroundings for anything that could potentially chase after them. The forest was such a mystery during the day; at night it was fearful. But as they neared what sounded like water, Genevieve's stern and frightened expression quickly turned to thankfulness. A small waterfall turned into a small pond. Genevieve happy reached her hand in the water, taking sips of the cool liquid while Jack continued to roam around the area. "Gen."

Walking to where he was, she realized what was in front of them. Dolls lined the area which lead to a coffin. Jack slowly approached the wooden grave, deep breaths escaping from his lips. "Take this," he ordered, giving her the burning branch. Next he opened the coffin, revealing nothing inside. Jack angrily closed the coffin and began breaking it with a piece of debris.

"Jack!" Extending her arm, Genevieve put a hand on his shoulder, halting him from unleashing his anger anymore. "I understand you're angry about something, but this isn't the way to do it," she spoke, her voice raising as Jack brought the debris above his head. Stopping, Jack turned to Gen – his breath quickened. "I think you're missing the whole picture here Jack; you found water. Drinkable water for the others. You. Okay, maybe Locke wasn't completely out of his mind 'cause look." Genevieve pointed the fire toward the pond, her eyes finding his. "Because of you, your finding allowed us to live a couple weeks more if needed."

Jack lowered the debris, his breath beginning to get back to normal as his mind thought about her words. "That whole thing where you said you don't want to fail the survivors, this proves you aren't doing that; you are not failing." Her words rang in his head as Jack finally realized the truth in them. His father was wrong about him. Jack Shepherd was not a failure, and he was not going to fail his fellow survivors. "Now let's get out of this god forsaken forest, get back to the beach and let our people know we have found water."

It had taken quite some time for the duo to finally make it back to the beach, but once they were able to hear the roar of the ocean tides hitting the sand, Jack and Genevieve both smiled brightly. Just as the woman was going to make a run for home, Jack stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Turning her, the doctor engulfed her in a lingering tight hug, one that took her by surprise. Allowing her arms to wrap around his torso, Genevieve fell into his chest. The small smell of body odor might have bothered her earlier in the day, but she was just thankful he was okay and no longer hallucinating. As Jack pulled away, he thanked her for staying beside him even while his mind was deteriorating. "And if you could do me a favor?" he begged. "Don't tell the others about what happened today."

"Trust me doc, even if I did I doubt they'd believe me," Genevieve answered with an amused smirk. "If you promise me you'll sleep and come to me with any issues, then it's a deal," she responded with a nod. Mimicking her actions, Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked out from the forest together. However, just as they thought they'd come back to roaring cheers and inquires on where they had been – instead they heard shouting and witnessed the others shoving Boone.

"Leave him alone!" Jack shouted as his feet began moving quicker toward the group. Genevieve kept her own pace as she noticed Kate's quick expression of jealousy. However, she pushed it away as all eyes were on them. "It's been six days," Jack began. "And we're all still waiting….waiting for someone to come. But what if they don't?" His question brought fear in the others' eyes, including Genevieve. This was something she hadn't thought about.

Jack began walking through the crowd, his leader role finally coming through again. And like a proud mother, Genevieve stood where she was with her arms folded across her chest as she happily watched Jack transition into someone familiar. "We have to stop waiting. We need to start figuring things out. A woman almost died this morning just going for a swim." All eyes fell on Boone as Jack pointed toward him. "And he tried to save her and you're all about to crucify him? We can't do this. Every man for himself is not going to work. It's time to start organizing. We need to figure out how we're going to survive here. Now, Genevieve and I found water…fresh water up in the valley." At the mention of her name, Kate's gaze averted to what she thought was her competition while Genevieve continued to stare at their leader. "I'll take a group in a first light. If you don't want to come then find another way to contribute. Last week most of us were strangers but we're all here now. And God knows how long we're going to be here. But if we can't live together, we're going to die alone."

With the reality of his words hitting the rest of the survivors, Genevieve watched as everyone began to take the hit pretty hard. The reality that help might not come as soon as everyone thought. The reality that living on the island might actually be a permanent thing. And it was at that moment when the reality hit Genevieve. Her eyes fell to the soft and cool sand, her shoes almost buried underneath. The wind from the ocean beside her stirred her curly dark hair matted up in a messy bun. The stickiness of her face suddenly became evident and the dirt along her arms was clearer than ever. Was this her new life?

Looking up, Genevieve was met with Jack's hazel eyes. Fear suddenly crept within her soul however his stare gave her a sense of comfort. Live together or die alone.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's note:<strong>_ _For those of you who are asking if Genevieve is going to end up with Jack or Sawyer or if this is going to be a love triangle, I can say one thing. This will NOT be a love triangle; but you're going to have to keep reading to find out who she ends up with._


	6. House of the Rising Sun

**Disclaimer:**

_I do not own Lost or any of the brilliant fictional characters from the show. I do however own my two characters of Eric and Genevieve Mendez._

* * *

><p><strong>House of the Rising Sun<strong>

The following morning proved to give Genevieve one of the biggest migraines she has had up to date. Claire had mumbled in her sleep throughout the night expressing her fear on living on the island; raising a child on the island. Sleep did not come for the woman while she listened to her blonde friend closely, all her worries radiating to Genevieve. Normally fear didn't come easy for the brunette; however she had never been in the situation she was in.

As the sun began rising, Genevieve stopped fighting the need to sleep and sat up. A low sigh sounded as her hands ran over her face before travelling to tie her hair. Silently exiting her tent, Genevieve looked toward the reddening sky. Sunrises were always beautiful to her; the start of a new day, new adventures, new experiences. On the island, there was a promise of new experiences and adventures though one could never tell if they were going to be enjoyable. Nevertheless, it was a promise for a new day.

Genevieve found a spot to peacefully sit while watching the sun rise on the ocean horizon. Bringing her blanket along, the woman sat silently wrapped in the fabric as the morning wind began to stir. In the distance she could hear others begin to wake, tired footsteps on the sand. Genevieve's eyes found Kate's glare in the distance. Shaking her head, the woman looked forward once again, laughter filling her mind. Since that night, Genevieve was faced with the cold shoulder technique and glares from the fugitive the second she had shown up with Jack. What Kate didn't realize was how faithful Gen was to her husband, and though Eric wasn't present, the woman knew he had to be somewhere out in the island searching for her as well.

The woman wasn't sure what the relationship between Jack and Kate were – if there was one. However, Genevieve understands the jealousy Kate must feel whenever she sees Jack conversing and interacting with another woman. What she didn't understand was why Kate felt Genevieve was a threat.

Shrugging things off, Genevieve's mind traveled back to the image being painted in front of her. The sun was half naked to the eye, the ocean still underneath it. The scene was incredible and looked to be beautifully crafted by an artistic hand. Everything seemed to be perfect … that was until she felt another body sitting beside her – Jack's voice ringing in the air.

"You're up early," he voiced, his tone low and tired. Genevieve said nothing. She wasn't sure the purpose of his visit but the last thing she wanted was to have her sunrise ruined by the doctor's orders for the day. "How'd you sleep?" he asked, his knees propped while his arms rested against them. Genevieve's answer was a simple shrug as the woman had no desire to explain Claire's worry. After all, she was a therapist. "Not in the mood to talk, got it." Jack's ability to pick up on Genevieve's actions surprised her, however she was greatly thankful. It was during this time of day when she didn't want to be bothered, but instead be thankful and grateful for the rising sun. Normally the woman would prefer to be alone – probably why a sigh escaped her lips before she averted her gaze.

"Your girlfriend hates that you spend time with me and she hates me for being the one you turn to," Genevieve bluntly revealed. Jack's expression quickly changed to confusion as he turned to look for Kate. And as both sets of eyes found her glaring green ones, Jack realized what Genevieve was saying had to be true.

"She's not my girlfriend," he quickly defended as his eyes moved away from Kate's stare. Genevieve, however, continued looking toward the brunette, watching as Kate walked off.

"Could've fooled me," Gen answered, a smile forming while she suppressed a chuckle. "Look, I don't care what you two have going on, but don't put me in the middle. I'm happily married and Kate needs to know that; we don't need any more animosity between survivors on this island." Jack nodded, obviously confused where the conversation had taken a turn to. Shaking off his concern, Jack turned to Genevieve and sighed.

"Listen, I didn't come over here to debate about whether or not I'm dating Kate; I came over here 'cause I wanted to talk to you about possibly moving to the caves that we found." Raising a brow to the man, Genevieve's mind blanked on her. Moving to the caves would mean she would have given up hope on rescue coming; staying on the beach would allow her to keep an eye out if there was a passing boat or a plane overhead. "I think, since you helped find the cave, you should move in and help around. You do help make decisions with the group and I would feel more comfortable with you helping there."

"Jack…that's like asking me to let go of seeing my family again. That's asking me to give up hope that help will come and we'll be rescued."

"You heard the pilot, Gen. It's going to be a while before they find us or realize where the plane had gone off course. Being out here on the beach is starting to gain a lot of risks; I can't have a friend missing or gone."

"I appreciate you caring," Genevieve started; wondering where and when they're friendship became important to Jack. If it wouldn't had been for Jack's mental breakdown and him seeing his deceased father, Genevieve and the doctor wouldn't have found the cave. Maybe it was at that moment when Jack had Gen by his side when he believed she cared about their friendship as much. In reality, Genevieve didn't care much about their friendship; she cared about getting help and having her time on the island as civil as possible. If Jack were to have done off the deep end, who would've stepped up in his place? "But the logical choice here would be to have you in the caves directing traffic in there and me on the island making sure things are going in order over here. It's basically like having two cities."

As the woman spoke, Jack mulled over her advice. Though she had made complete sense and it was a good idea, Jack felt more comfortable with someone he entrusted fully near. Letting out a sigh, Jack nodded before giving her details on the plans for the day. Once Genevieve understood what Jack was planning, the man stood to his feet and began walking off. Genevieve watched as the group's leader sulked off as he made his way toward Kate. While her eyes slowly fell toward the ground, Genevieve began thinking about Eric. With all the events happening on the island, her husband was the farthest thing on her mind. But while Jack and Kate began gathering their belongings to begin heading to the cave, Genevieve's mind traveled to when the two newlyweds packed for their trip to Australia.

Their smiles and side glances caused Genevieve to shake her head. Although others in the group might have missed the subtle notions of admiration, the psychologist could easily see the way the two looked at each other. However, once Charlie approached them, the woman took her eyes off of them and onto the man who silently sat next to her. "Sawyer," she greeted her voice soft and welcoming. Crow's feet became present as his eyes smiled along with his lips. Greeting her the same way, Sawyer's eyes traveled to the doctor and fugitive before glancing back to the psychologist.

"Such a wide range of occupations we have on this island," he made obvious, Genevieve silent as she began to mentally fight with her thoughts. A part of her fought with wanting to ask what cologne he had found in his hunt that made her heart flutter, but another part of her wouldn't allow to show too much emotion toward the most hated man on the island.

"Yeah," Genevieve agreed, her head nodding. But as she thought about it, Gen realized she didn't know what any of the other survivors did for a living. Besides knowing Jack as the doctor and Kate as a fugitive, Genevieve had no idea what anyone else on the island did as their occupation. This caused the woman to make a mental note to collect that information. "What is it that you want Sawyer?" she asked, finally moving to look toward the man's blue eyes.

A small sarcastic chuckle sounded from his throat as he shook his head. "I can't sit next to a fellow survivor and talk about the weather?" he asked, his face occupied with a large grin.

"If it was anyone else, I probably would believe those words. However, since it's coming from you, I don't necessarily think you came here to talk about the weather." Genevieve finally kept her gaze on Sawyer, her eyes piercing as her voice leaked to a serious tone.

"Okay fine," Sawyer sighed, giving in. "I know the doc will be leaving the beach to go live in the cave. So, I was thinking if you would be my hot Spanish princess and rule the beach with me?"

"Okay, first of all Spanish is a language not an ethnicity. And second, you're a pervert. Why in hell would I want to be _your_ 'princess' of the beach when I'm happily married? Sawyer … and you wonder why people hate you." Just as she was moving to stomp away, Sawyer caught her wrist, holding her back. A loud laugh bellowed from his throat, amusement completely evident in his face.

"Ease up Gen, you're always so uptight. There's no way you're going to survive on this island if you don't take that stick out of your ass."

"You are highly unqualified to determine what belongs in my ass," the woman responded, her eyes rolling. Immediately Sawyer began laughing as Gen realized the words she had said. Joining the man in his laughter, Gen quickly shook her head. "That did not come out at all what I wanted it too."

"You saying that actually made it worse," Sawyer pointed out, his laughter trailing on. The two continued in their giggles until they heard yelling. Looking around, both pair of eyes found the source; Jin and Michael fighting.

"Damn it," Genevieve mumbled under her breath as she pushed herself off the ground. Running toward the two men, Sawyer right behind her, Gen felt her anger rise with every step she took. Michael's son, Walt, continuously yelled for the Korea to leave his father alone, while Sun yelled in her native language for Jin to stop the fighting. Genevieve's arms wrapped around Walt, holding him back from the fight breaking out in front of them, her eyes wide with shock.

There were many moments when sleep would not find Genevieve during the dead of night when the woman would wonder what kind of people she had been stranded with. She knew Kate was a fugitive and Jake was a doctor, however there were over forty other survivors Genevieve knew nothing of. The idea of a murderer in their group scared the woman; or even a rapist. There were many times when Gen would ask herself and analyze Sawyer; contemplating if he were either or. However, as Genevieve watched while Jin held Michael's head under the ocean water, she scolded herself for pointing her metaphoric finger at the man helping Sayid retrieve the Sky Marshal's handcuffs to stop the fighting.

Letting go of the young man, Genevieve and Walt both run toward Michael as he coughed the salt water out from his lungs. Patting his back, the woman's eyes watched while Sawyer pulled the silver handcuffs from his back pocket as Sayid dragged Jin toward the landing near the wreckage. "Over here, now!" Sayid yelled, beckoning Sawyer to where they fastened his wrist to the wreckage. Once they felt safe enough, they backed away from the angered man; all eyes on sun. "What happened?" Sun took a step back from the eyes glued on her; alone and unable to communicate.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Genevieve stood watching closely with her arms folded across her chest. Her white tank hung loosely against her skin, hitting it lightly as the wind raced against her. The brown curls bounced behind her in all directions, strands occasionally blocking her view of Sayid and Michael raging into an argument. Beside her, Hurley and Sawyer mimicked her stance while their eyes stayed glued as Michael held his son close and Sun stood close to her husband. On occasion, Jin would yell out some angry comments in his native language, but was duly ignored by the rest of the survivors. While the two men fought, Walt continuously looked up toward his father, scared and confused by what was happening.

Hesitantly, Sun rose from her husband's side and spoke. The language was none the survivors understood, however her gestures toward her wrist were loud and clear to Sayid who immediately opposed. "Little louder, _Omar_, maybe then she'll understand you," Sawyer spoke, his eyes rolling to Sayid's ignorance. While Sun moved back toward her husband, Genevieve noticed a tick in her eye. Keeping her gaze on the Korean woman, Hurley spoke up – inquiring on how long Jin would have to stay out in the hot sun. It was then when Genevieve finally noticed Sun's expression; an expression that clearly showed the psychologist she understood what others were saying.

"Until we figure out exactly what is going on here, we need to punish Jin for almost killing Michael." Snapping out from her analyzing Sun, Genevieve spoke up. "I know a few things about the Korean culture so once I have some time to remember everything I can; maybe I can help figure things out." Eyes were then on the woman who knew once everyone made their decision on where to live eyes would always be on her. "But being stuck on an island does not mean we're savages; keeping him out in the sun could dehydrate him or give him some severe sun poisoning."

"Good! He tried to kill me; punish the ass!" Michael spoke loudly, pointing over to Jin before the Korean man exchanged foreign words of his own. Holding her hands up, Gen shook her head.

"We don't know exactly why he did it. And until we do, we will move him to shade but keep him cuffed. _If _he is found guilty then we will punish him accordingly." Instantly, Genevieve's voice dipped to authoritative; a woman has to be "bossy" when she has to be. Especially during times like these. While the others nodded in hesitant agreement, Genevieve pointed toward Jin and ordered for him to be moved toward the trees. Turning on her heel, the woman walked toward her usual spot on the beach to meditate on the information she had known about the Korean culture. Sawyer followed close behind her, a smirk smacked on his face while he couldn't help checking out her swinging hips. "Keep those blue eyes off my ass Sawyer," Genevieve hollered, keeping her pace and her body forward.

An audible laugh was heard behind her as Sawyer sped his pace to keep up with her. "What are you thinking about this whole thing?" he asked, his mood instantly changing. Giving him a shrug, Genevieve answered honestly. She had no idea what to make of whatever grudge Jin held against Michael. Gen didn't know everything that was happening on the island, nor did she know about anything Michael could have done to cause Jin to react like that. But the one thing she did know was the same anger every man harbored when someone messed with their possessions and/or woman.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Since Jin had been relocated to the trees, Genevieve took it upon herself to keep a very close eye on Michael and Walt. With her arms folded, the woman's brown eyes were kept in the direction of Walt as he sat on the beach, staring at the man who almost killed his father from a safe and confrontational distance. The boy sat in silence while the married couple stared out onto the ocean, unaware of the child. However, like every human being who have the sense to feel when there are a pair of eyes on them, Jin looked toward Walt. The two males exchanged glances of anger and bewilderment until Michael appeared, scolding Jin and his son.

"Yeah, nice talking to you too," Michael yelled toward Sun as a sympathetic expression turned away from him. It seemed to Genevieve whatever weird friendship the two had was destroyed by Jin. She watched as Michael shared words with his son and it wasn't long before her eyes fell to the ground. The woman envied the pair; they had someone they knew and loved on the island. Days on the island and still Genevieve was still hurt knowing her husband was still nowhere to be found.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" Sawyer's voice rang behind her as she suddenly felt his body standing close to her. Startled by his words, Genevieve turned to look at him, her brow raised high.

"Excuse me?" she inquired, confused by his question.

"Your eyes glaze over and your lips slightly split open whenever you think about him." For years Genevieve spent her time analyzing everyone around her, it was strange to have someone else pointing out her own actions. "I'm not trying to be a Deby Downer, but if we haven't found anyone else from the plane, I highly doubt we're going to find him." Briefly the woman's eyes fell to the ground before finding Sawyer's blue eyes again.

"Sawyer you might want to have a filter every once in a while," she spoke, trying desperately to mask the pain she was feeling. "You might lose the only person on this island that can tolerate you." And with that, Genevieve began walking away from the man, taking a small trek to her tent. Once inside, Gen fell to the floor. The reality of Eric being deceased was something her mind had been wrestling with for days, but Genevieve refused to accept it.

"Hey, you okay?" Claire's voice came from the entrance which quickly made Genevieve wipe her tears and grab her water bottle. Taking a sip from it, Gen nodded. "Look I know lately we haven't really talked much, but you know I'm still here if you need to talk about him."

"There's nothing to talk about," Gen snapped. Once she realized how harsh her words came out, her face softened. "Claire, I'm sorr-"

"No need, I understand," the blonde responded, a small forgiving smile. "Listen, I was talking to Joanna … that girl you rescued from drowning and she said she needed to speak with you as soon as possible."

"Tell her I'll talk to her as soon as I can; I'm incredibly busy with this whole Jin and Michael thing." Gathering a few things, Genevieve threw them in a bag and swung it over her shoulder. "Thanks Claire." The blonde nodded while her friend walked out of the tent, the sun immediately blinding Gen. Looking around, Genevieve began walking to where she needed to go.

Just as Genevieve was going to make her way over to the Korean couple, she noticed a few familiar faces and Sayid speaking with them. Raising a brow, Genevieve wondered what it was Sayid was telling them about Jin and Michael – especially since he was against allowing Jin to be under the comfort of shade. Just as she was going to B like it to Jin, Jack caught glimpse of her. Beckoning her to wait, Jack quickly wrapped it up with Kate and Sayid before jogging over to her. "Hey, where are you headed?" he asked, a small smile forming.

"Going over to Jin to check up on him; I'm assuming Sayid told you about the whole fight?"

"Yeah he did; this something you have under control?" Jack looked toward Genevieve, a hopeful look in his eye so obvious, Gen shook her head.

"You know, for someone who just yesterday made a huge speech to the survivors about the concept of 'live together, die alone', you sure are quick to make your own civilization in the caves."

"It's our best bet on surviving on this island," Jack spoke in his defense, following the woman as she began walking away toward the Korean couple.

"Our best chance of survival is getting off this island. And getting off this island means keeping us on the beach to keep a look out for airplanes or helicopters or a boat; something that will take us off this shitty island and back home to real civilization. You moving us into the caves is complete suicide and will probably later make a few of us commit suicide."

"It's our only source of fresh water, Gen," Kate spoke, interrupting what Jack was going to say.

"Oh now she speaks to me. Finally have it in your head that Jack and I aren't an item?" Genevieve spoke, her voice dripping with hints of sarcasm. Kate sent a glare her way as a hand found her hip.

"Staying here without food or water? And that isn't suicide to you?"

"At least here there's always hope that we'll get off this island. Besides, there's fishing and we can always bring water bottles down from the caves to have and store. There's always a solution to something that doesn't have to mean giving up hour on this hourglass we call our lives." Jack kept quiet; knowing anything else he would say would be omitted by the feisty female. Genevieve on the other hand gripped tighter on her bag before starting off on her walk toward the Korean couple once again, this time without Jack following close behind her.

Not far from her, Genevieve spotted Sayid – a man who she knew wanted to get off the island as much as she did. Calling him over, Gen stole a glance to Jack who had already made his way to a few castaways, starting his lecture on why they should relocate to the caves. "Yes Gen, what can I do for you?" Sayid asked; his voice pleasant as always. Giving him a brief smile, Genevieve gave him details on what Jack's plan was. Immediately she knew Sayid was against the idea of moving the survivors to the caves in case a rescue ship or plane came looking for them. "What I can do is go around and collect survivors against the idea to keep a tally on who will stay."

"Exactly my idea," Genevieve answered, her lips turning to a smile. With an appreciative nod, the two parted ways. Sayid ventured off to where Gen could tell toward Michael while she took a few steps back. Looking out to her surroundings, Genevieve watched as the group of survivors carried on their day as if it was like any other. Sure, being stranded on an island was probably the worst thing that had happened to her besides losing Eric, but in a sense she knew she would come out of this a stronger and better woman.

_**-X- -X- -X-**_

Jack had gone around to everyone on the beach, trying to convince as many people as he could to follow his lead into the jungle to the caves. A few familiar and frequent faces decided to join the doctor, leaving Genevieve mourning on the beach. With her hands laced together, Gen sat in her usual spot by the ocean, a little closer to the water this time. With everything happening on that day – it was a miracle she hadn't poked anyone's eye out with a spork yet. The responsibility of leading a group of survivors was nothing of what she had imagined; harder than she could have guessed. It seemed everyone's concerns were made to be her own and everyone else's problems were her top priority.

The ocean water rose up the beach, hitting Genevieve's toes lightly. The cool water caused a shiver to travel down her spine while her eyes scanned the horizon then around her. Kate stood by the beach farther away to where, in Gen's eyes, she was merely a few inches tall. Approaching her, Sawyer wore his usual mocking smirk as he spoke to her – the obvious look of disgust on Kate's face. If Gen could guess, having the background she did, Sawyer's mere appearance was to stir up some trouble between Kate and the doctor. And this was confirmed as Sawyer's visit hadn't lasted more than two minutes until he began making his way over to where she resided.

Desperately Genevieve hid the smile behind a pensive stare. Giving her a shrug, Sawyer occupied the space beside her as a sigh escaped his lips. "You saw that didn't you?" the man asked, his eyes falling on Genevieve's tangled hands. Giving him a nod, Gen couldn't help but watch as Kate rolled her eyes to the pair, walking off of wet sand and into her tent. "Just some good ol' fashion instigating, Senorita."

"Maybe that's why you don't have many fans on the island, Sawyer," Genevieve pointed out, a small smirk hidden as she moved her face away from him.

"I have you," he spoke, putting a hand on her arm. "That's fan enough for me." A spark of emotions began rising in Genevieve as the heat from Sawyer's hand left an imprint. Gen's eyes found Sawyer's while he smiled. "Who needs these people, right? A lot of the idiots don't know what to do with themselves anyway. And screw the doc and his need for creating a civilization in the caves. If you're staying on the island, that's where I'll be." Though it was coming from the one and only Sawyer, Genevieve felt a sense of security from his words. Flashing a thankful smile, Gen nodded happily.

"Well with that being said, I think it's time to get some food," Gen suggested, getting to her feet. Brushing off the sand from her bottom, Gen watched as Sawyer rose as well. While the two began walking down toward the beach, Genevieve scanned the survivors in their daily day. Far in the distance, Gen noticed Jack and Kate speaking – Kate with a disapproving look. It didn't take long when Jack turned from Kate and began walking off; not before finding Genevieve's stare. Lifting his hand, Jack waved a good-bye to the woman he'd rather have at the caves, but the doctor understood the hope Genevieve held for rescue.

Whether anyone would understand or not, Jack needed to know he was safe on the island they had unfortunately landed on; and the caves, in his opinion, was the best way to survive. Flashing Gen a small smile, Jack turned and began his trek toward his new home.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong> _I want to apologize that the chapters take a little to be posted. Each episode is almost and hour long, so in order to write Genevieve in I have to analyze each episode both watching it and reading the script. But hang in there, I will continue to post chapters! Please review and give me some feedback, please and thank you! xo


End file.
